Sustainable building sites (DGNB)

ZÜBLIN is taking on an industry-wide pioneering role in the establishment of sustainable construction processes in Germany.

Exterior view of the RED City West project in Berlin

To mark the start of its new construction site certification, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB ) has awarded Ed. Züblin AG the "Sustainable Construction Site" basic certificate as the first company. It already covers key standards from the DGNB requirements catalog for sustainable construction and serves as the basis for the certification of individual ZÜBLIN construction sites that has already been initiated.

With its new certification, the DGNB is setting a benchmark for sustainable construction site processes. The comprehensive set of rules defined for this purpose is divided into five overarching criteria that ensure proof of holistic sustainability quality and go far beyond environmental protection: construction site organization, resource conservation, health and social issues, communication with the local public and quality of construction. "Sustainable construction is not just about the result, but also about the way to get there. With its commitment to the new DGNB certification for sustainable construction sites, ZÜBLIN is doing real pioneering work," says Johannes Kreißig, Managing Director of the DGNB. Ed. Züblin AG was one of the first members of the DGNB Sustainable Building Network, which was founded in 2007, and is continuously involved in the further development of the certification system.

Sustainable construction is the ZÜBLIN standard

With the awarded DGNB basic certificate "Sustainable Construction Site", Ed. Züblin AG has already demonstrated the elementary sustainability standards from the DGNB requirements catalog throughout the company and can thus implement the successive certification of individual construction sites more quickly. The Saalburgallee construction project in Frankfurt/M. was the first pilot project, and other ZÜBLIN projects in the Hessian metropolis, among others, have already started the pre-certification process.

Thanks to efficient and largely standardized processes, ZÜBLIN will very quickly apply the DGNB regulations to other construction sites as well. After all, ZÜBLIN has long been able to build sustainably - regardless of the DGNB certificate - through the consistent use of (among other things):

Green electricity

All Ed. Züblin AG construction sites in Germany are supplied exclusively with green electricity from hydropower.
5S method

The established 5S method (5S: Sort, Systematize, Clean, Standardize, Self-discipline) sets clearly defined and uniform standards for order and cleanliness on all ZÜBLIN construction sites.
Energy management

The systematic and continuous application of energy management (in accordance with ISO 50001:2018) creates transparency regarding energy consumption and supports the construction site teams in reducing CO2 emissions.
LEAN.construction

People, materials and machines in the right place at the right time. With LEAN management, the construction process is precisely timed within the team. This helps to avoid waiting times or interface problems and to implement projects in a structured and efficient manner.
Digitization of processes

Mobile applications facilitate documentation and verification during project execution. Digital checklists that can be called up via the app, for example, enable the inspection and paperless documentation of high standards for (occupational) safety, health and environmental protection (HSE) during construction site inspections.

Sustainable construction processes - from the ground-breaking ceremony to handover

As a planning and management tool, DGNB certification is geared towards the construction site process and implementation for the duration of the construction project. All work carried out during the construction, repair or modification of buildings is taken into account. The construction site is assessed on the basis of detailed evidence, which is reviewed at agreed intervals until the building is commissioned. The award is based on the DGNB pre-certificate, which can be obtained at the start of the project; the construction site is only finally certified once the work has been completed and the sustainability criteria have been continuously met. Unlike DGNB building certification, there are no gradations into platinum, gold and silver.