German Society for Sustainable Building

The German Society for Sustainable Building (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen, DGNB) is a non-profit association founded in 2007. According to its website, it is Europe's largest network for sustainable building and the world's number two, with more than 2,800 member organizations. Its overarching goal is to actively shape the transformation of the construction and real estate industry, to promote understanding of the need for sustainable construction, and to anchor this in broad public awareness. It works for demonstrably good buildings, livable neighborhoods and a future-proof built environment, and it operates the internationally recognized DGNB certification.

The DGNB was founded in 2007. Its history page states that on 25 June 2007, 16 pioneers of the construction and real estate industry initiated the DGNB with the goal of advancing sustainable building, and that the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen was then officially founded on 25 June 2007 with 121 founding members. Since then, the association has established itself as one of the fastest-growing civil-society organizations in Germany. On 1 January 2008 the DGNB became the official German partner in the World Green Building Council, the worldwide umbrella organization for sustainable building, and from the outset held a seat on its Board of Directors. On 18 January 2008, six months after its founding, the first 121 founding members met for the official kick-off event under the motto "Lebensräume zukunftsfähig gestalten. Nachhaltiges Bauen: Grundlagen der Zertifizierung". On 17 June 2008 the German certification system came onto the market: the Deutsches Gütesiegel Nachhaltiges Bauen, today known as the DGNB certification system, premiered at the Consense trade fair, making sustainable building plannable, assessable and measurable for the first time with a holistic approach. The DGNB has been the official German partner of the annual World Green Building Week since 2011.

Europe's largest network for sustainable building and the world's number two, operating the internationally recognized DGNB certification.

• DGNB Zertifizierung (DGNB certification)

  The internationally recognized DGNB certification; its predecessor, the Deutsches Gütesiegel Nachhaltiges Bauen, premiered at the Consense trade fair on 17 June 2008.

1. 1Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen | DGNBdgnb.de
2. 2Geschichte der DGNB | DGNBdgnb.de