Author: Henny Müller

Living with climate change – are we living the right way in our cities?

Our towns and cities will need to adapt in order to deal with challenges of climate change. But to allow our cities to adapt to the changing environment, we also need to change our lives and behaviour. The concrete measures this involves and the ideas they’re based on were presented by Prof. Matthias Rudolph, Paul Eldag, Gerhard Hauber and Rolf Messerschmidt at this year’s DGNB annual digital congress.

„We want to demonstrate that environmental protection and running a business are compatible“

The way we plan and operate our buildings offers enormous potential for saving climate-damaging CO2 emissions. However, to fully exploit this potential, it is important to take an honest, systematic look at our own consumption. DGNB member CSMM – architecture matters has implemented exactly this for its own company. Timo Brehme, founder and managing partner, reports on the motivations, experiences and insights.

Ready to shape the future: Christine Lemaitre re-elected to join WorldGBC’s Board of Directors

In 2008 the DGNB became the official German member of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), a global network of over 70 Green Building Councils around the world. Since then, the DGNB has been intensively involved in WorldGBC’s activities. Now, Christine Lemaitre, CEO of the DGNB, has been re-elected to join the World Green Building Council’s Board of Directors for another two years.

The DGNB in China: in future, quality will make the big difference with projects

The number of buildings that have been constructed in China in the last 15 years equals the total number of buildings that already exist in Europe. Construction volumes remain high and the demand for certifiably better buildings is growing. And this is where the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) certification system comes into play, serving as a quality standard for projects reflecting Made in Germany levels of sustainability.

The DGNB celebrates 10 years: “Responsibility without tunnel vision”

For an entire decade now, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) has done more than any other organisation in Germany to shape sustainable building. The DGNB has also been the undisputed market leader for many years. As the largest network for sustainable building in Europe, we bring the pioneers of the construction and property industry around a single table. To mark our tenth anniversary, we invited some 300 guests to celebrate this milestone with us at the Academy of Arts in Berlin (Akademie der Künste).

“The DGNB Certificate will play an increasingly important role”

With a market share of over 80 per cent for new commercial properties and more than 60 per cent of the overall market, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is the undisputed market leader in the German commercial property segment, well ahead of other certification systems. This was the conclusion of the latest market report issued by BNP Paribas Real Estate – Market Focus: Green Buildings 2017. Hermann Horster, Head of Sustainability at BNP Paribas Real Estate, answered our questions about the role played by certified buildings in the investment market, also covering a variety of other issues.