DGNB Framework for “Carbon-Neutral Buildings and Sites”

Abstract

The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is the German and international knowledge platform for sustainable building and provides the world's most advanced sustainable building certification system. Its aim is the planning and assessment of sustainable buildings and districts. With more than 2800 pre-certified or certified projects worldwide and as a market leader in Germany, the DGNB can look back on more than 10 years of experience in fostering and certifying sustainable buildings and districts. Since its very beginning, the ambitious assessments have always been based on the entire life cycle of a building, including both embodied and operational carbon emissions and applying to new buildings as well as to renovations of existing buildings. In order to support a significant contribution from the construction sector to limit global warming and in order to make the implementation of the Paris Agreement of 2015 measurable within certified projects, the DGNB has developed a framework for ``carbon-neutral buildings and sites.{''} The new framework consists of the three elements carbon accounting rules, carbon disclosure rules and carbon management rules. The new framework offers a wide range of possible applications. It can, for instance, have a possible positive impact on DGNB certification outcomes, offer a reliable basis for decision-makers regarding the aspect of green financing, help to establish appropriate regulatory instruments or serve for educational purposes. The framework has been published as a preview version in May 2018 and is applicable for a testing phase since July 2018.