FAQs DGNB Special Award Ecolabel

What exactly is the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel?

Which projects are eligible for certification with the DGNB Special Award?

Where can I find the requirements and specifications of the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel?

What do I need to do to obtain the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel?

How does the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel differ from a regular DGNB certificate?

What are the benefits of the new DGNB Special Award Ecolabel for building owners?

Where can I find an overview of the required documents?

Who can I contact if any questions arise?

The DGNB Special Award Ecolabel is the joint building certificate of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH and the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). A building certificate is used to evaluate projects based on previously defined sustainability criteria. These criteria are reviewed by an independent body, enabling the sustainability of a building to be measured and compared.

The certificate was designed for projects in the four downtown areas HafenCity, Billebogen, Grasbrook and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld. Here, new projects can be honored with the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel. For construction fields developed by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH or its subsidiaries, certification is contractually agreed as part of the property development and is therefore compulsory.

The DGNB Special Award Ecolabel is based on the criteria of the DGNB system. The specific requirements to be met are found exclusively in so-called weighting tables, which refer to the criteria catalogs of the DGNB system in the 2023 version.

The guide “6 Steps to the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel” provides a detailed description of the process for obtaining the label. For background information and non-binding initial information on the specifications, please refer to the brochure “Sustainable building: Building certification in the four areas HafenCity, Billebogen, Grasbrook and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld”.

The procedure for obtaining the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel is described in the guide “6 Steps to the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel”. To receive the agreement mentioned in the guide regarding registration for the certification process, please contact umweltzeichen@hafencity.com by email.

The DGNB system is based on criteria that are essential and must be applied to a wide variety of projects throughout Germany. In the HafenCity, Billebogen, Grasbrook and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld areas being developed by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH and its subsidiaries, however, there are certain location-specific features that make it necessary to define some sustainability requirements in more detail. The DGNB Special Award Ecolabel addresses these special features. It focuses here resolutely on the downtown location of the four areas, which are characterized in particular by a high urban density, a large number of new buildings to be constructed in the immediate vicinity and good integration into the citywide (transport) infrastructure. Detailed information on the area-specific features relevant to the specifications for the Special Award is provided in Section 3 of the brochure “Sustainable building: Building certification in the four areas HafenCity, Billebogen, Grasbrook and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld”.

Building certification generally has significant benefits: Sustainability aspects are assessed in an interdisciplinary and holistic manner; the quality of a project is ensured by clear assessment criteria and the necessary process support and documentation and confirmed by means of an inspection by an independent body. This also has direct economic benefits, such as lower operating costs, reduced use of materials, increased market value and value stability.

Apart from this general benefit of certification, the DGNB Special Award Ecolabel also holds further advantages for building owners. They benefit from an internationally recognized and ambitious certificate that is compatible with national and international funding guidelines such as the BEG (Bundesförderung für Effiziente Gebäude [Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings]) or the ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) verification for EU taxonomy. Thanks to the integrated inspection process carried out by the DGNB, building owners receive the regular DGNB certificates in addition to the Special Award, without any additional effort or extra costs being incurred. During the process, they also have access to a large pool of specialist consultants and established methodological and documentation standards.

All required documents are available digitally from the DGNB and HafenCity Hamburg GmbH or can be requested there.

For general questions, please contact umweltzeichen@hafencity.com by email.