Green building label - choosing the right auditor

Certification in accordance with the usual green building labels, e.g. DGNB, BREEAM or LEED, allows developers to prove objectively and effectively to the public that their properties are ecologically sustainable. When an auditor has extensive expert knowledge and management competency, a client benefits not only from the actual certification itself but also from the sustainable building concepts an auditor can bring to the table. Drees & Sommer brings together all the modules inherent in green building knowledge, among them knowledge of management and costing, planning and practical building knowledge and even system know-how, all from one source that enables Drees & Sommer to leverage considerable synergistic effects.

System know-how alone is not enough
The interplay between all the properties of a building is the basis for determining how sustainable it is. To attain a value-added effect, it is often not enough to engage an auditor whose competencies lie primarily in knowledge of the criteria and the structure involved in the certification process in question. Because green building criteria affect investment and operational costs, it has to be clear early on, as early as the preliminary planning phase for a new structure, which certification the building is supposed to obtain and how economically each of the criteria can be met. The auditor thus has to possess comprehensive knowledge of all such issues. For the DGNB label, for instance, this mainly means knowing how to calculate life-cycle costs and then draw up an ecological balance sheet for a building.

Integrating sustainability topics during the tender phase
To draft a sustainable building concept, specialist expert knowledge is also required for instance in the fields of structural physics, energy design and construction technology. To ensure that the developer has exact details on costs and can sensibly integrate the certification process into the planning and construction phases, management competency is also in high demand. For example, classic project management in the form of costing, scheduling and quality management plays a decisive role. "The greatest synergy for the client is achieved when he receives all the modular knowledge from one source," Peter Mösle, Project Partner at Drees & Sommer, explains in a discussion of the value-added component for developers.

From general expert planning to certification: Spiegel Ericusspitze Hamburg awarded the "Hafencity Umweltzeichen" (Hamburg's Harbour City Environmental Seal) in Gold
The new building Spiegel Ericusspitze shows the effect comprehensive expert knowledge and system know-how can have on the general process of planning and building. This new structure has been the first private construction project to receive Hamburg's environmental seal "Hafencity-Umweltzeichen" in Gold. The prerequisite for this certification was, among other things, total primary energy consumption below 100 kWh/m²a. Drees & Sommer was the general specialist planner responsible for the structural physics, the façade and building technology but also for the facility management and energy design. Using green building management, the team has helped the client up obtain the environmental seal of approval. This encompassed everything from the application process and agreement with HafenCity to proof and documentation of the building. Monitoring of energy usage and operational supervision into the second year of operation are also essential for the award of the label.

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