by Brianna Crandall — January 26, 2011—The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) announced it has awarded its coveted DGNB Certificate for the first time to sustainable hotel buildings. The holistic approach of the assessment consistently follows the DGNB philosophy while being at the same time finely tuned to the requirements of the hotel trade.
Like other buildings, hotels will be assessed in six different areas under the DGNB System. These include the classic aspects of sustainability—ecology, economy, and society—but also include the technical quality of the building as well as the quality of the planning and construction processes. The quality of the site is also assessed, but this result is presented separately and is not included in the overall grade for the building.
Particular importance is attached to the lifecycle assessment of a hotel building, including the effort and expense associated with cleaning measures, energy and drinking water consumption, and general maintenance costs. Careful use of resources is rewarded positively using a point system.
DGNB notes that above all, guests want to feel comfortable in their hotel accommodations, so user comfort and convenience aspects are given special consideration in the DGNB assessment, including such factors as sound insulation and thermal comfort. Accessibility is also taken into account.
The requirements considered by the Certification System vary according to the star rating of the hotel, and the differences are also taken into account between a city hotel that is conveniently located in terms of transport facilities, and a secluded rural hotel. The current version of the assessment system is geared towards new buildings.
For more information, see the Web site.
