Offenbach commits to sustainable planning and building
18.08.2023
The city of Offenbach am Main is committed to sustainable planning and building and is thus actively committed to climate protection, the protection of natural resources and a future-proof building culture. As a building block, the city is a member of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
"By becoming a member of the DGNB, the City of Offenbach is supporting the development of sustainable construction and action. The City of Offenbach is aiming for certification for sustainable construction in future building construction projects and is thus consciously taking the path towards greater climate protection," explains Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Building.
The DGNB offers a certification system with six criteria for completed buildings. By becoming a member of the DGNB, the City of Offenbach is supporting the development of sustainable construction and action.
Sustainable building in Offenbach
Certification is currently being sought for the new building for the Emmy Noether School on the site of the former freight depot. Federal funding for the new building is now also generally linked to successful certification for sustainable building. The Emmy Noether School project is therefore likely to meet the conditions for funding from the federal government's Climate-Friendly New Build program.
Background
The DGNB stands for Europe's largest network for sustainable building. What all DGNB members have in common is their interest and willingness to actively promote greater sustainability and climate protection in the construction and real estate industry. As a non-governmental organization, the DGNB acts independently of current political circumstances, but works with various political decision-makers at federal, state and municipal level to give sustainability a strong voice. Members receive certifications at a lower price and can benefit from DGNB offers.
Sustainable building means a more conscious handling and use of existing resources, minimizing energy consumption and preserving the environment. The common sustainability concept is based on a three-pillar model consisting of economy, ecology and social aspects. This idea can also be applied to construction. The economy refers to the fact that buildings are planned in an economically sensible way and the costs are considered over the entire life cycle. In simple terms, ecology stands for the resource- and environmentally friendly construction of buildings. Social aspects focus on the interests of the building's users. We can therefore speak of sustainable action when these three factors are harmonized.
The DGNB's sustainability concept goes one step further and focuses on a total of six subject areas. In addition to ecology, economy and social aspects, technology, the process and the location also play a role in the planning and construction of buildings. These criteria are assessed as part of the certification process. Depending on the quality and degree of fulfillment of these criteria, the DGNB awards certificates in bronze, silver, gold and platinum for the completed building.
The above-mentioned aspects, from the use of certain materials to the consideration of feel-good factors: All of these criteria play a role in the assessment of buildings and ultimately determine how sustainable a building is. The DGNB certification system, which is unique in its form, is used to objectively assess and describe the sustainability of buildings and districts. This is because it assesses quality in a comprehensive sense, over the entire building life cycle of 50 years.