BNB certification

The Federal Ministry responsible for building (now the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)) supported the development of the first version of the DGNB certification system, with scientific assistance from the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR).

Today, an enhanced version of that system, known as the "Assessment system for sustainable building" ("Bewertungssystem Nachhaltiges Bauen" – BNB) is used for federal buildings. It also takes account of quality in all areas of sustainability-oriented construction:

  • Ecological aspects
  • Economic aspects
  • Socio-cultural and functional aspects
  • Technical aspects
  • The planning and implementation process

Three different grades of BNB certificates are awarded, for three different degrees of conformance with the applicable defined standards: gold (> 80%), silver (> 65%) and bronze (> 50%).

Different catalogues of criteria are applied to different categories of structures, such as office buildings, laboratory buildings, classroom buildings and outdoor facilities.

We support building owners, and their planning teams, throughout all phases of projects – from initial idea to completion – with approved auditors for BNB certification.