A good indoor environment and user wellbeing has been one of the core topics of a DGNB certification for more than 10 years. Eight different criteria in the category Social and functional quality rate the building’s impact on the mental and physical health of humans. The detailed criteria cover a wide variety of aspects, such as a sufficient supply of natural and artificial light, good acoustics, safety, and accessibility.
Dr. Christine Lemaitre, CEO of DGNB e.V., explains that the holistic nature of DGNB promotes a balanced and comprehensive approach, which ensures that everyone involved with the building process understands what it takes to create a good indoor environment.
– If you want your building to qualify for a good DGNB rating, like gold and platinum, you need a high score in all criteria. You cannot just focus on energy efficiency and ignore the comfort of the users. This affects all areas of the building process, such as quality assurance, training, and responsible material sourcing, says Christine Lemaitre.