Further development and expansion of the Sustainable Building Evaluation System (BNB)

As part of our framework agreement with the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs, and Spatial Development (BBSR), we support the further development and expansion of the Sustainable Building Evaluation System (BNB). Through our analysis of the BNB criteria and the development of new criterion fact sheets, we have played a key role in enhancing the practicality and appeal of the BNB, thereby helping to establish a future-proof system that actively supports the achievement of Germany’s climate protection goals.

The BNB serves as an evaluation framework and quality management system for the sustainable planning, construction, use, and operation of buildings. It is mandatory for federal buildings and can also be used by states, municipalities, and the private sector. On behalf of the BBSR, we are supporting the further development of the BNB as well as the introduction of ‘BNB-Vario’ (BNB 2.0), which is required by the German government as part of the Sustainability Measures Program – Development 2021.

Background and Objectives: Criterion Fact Sheets

Criterion fact sheets form the building blocks of the BNB. They define the relevant requirements for individual aspects of sustainability (e.g., primary energy demand) and provide information on the associated indicators, evaluation methods, and benchmarks. For different building types – so-called system variants – there are currently adapted fact sheets for each. Within the scope of the project, the fact sheets are focused on in two ways:

• With the further development of the BNB, additional topics such as sufficiency, external environmental costs, resource consumption, and biodiversity should be covered further or in more depth. In addition, the future viability of the existing criteria will be examined – regarding content, methodology, evaluation standards, weighting, and derivation rules. The goal is to update or revise the criterion fact sheets.
• The development of “BNB-Vario” aims to expand the scope of the BNB. It should make it possible to certify construction projects that do not fit into any of the existing BNB system variants. This includes buildings such as exhibition and event venues, daycare centers, libraries, etc., as well as those with mixed uses. The criteria should be applicable to both new construction and building renovation. In this context, universal criterion fact sheets play an important role.

BNB Criteria: From Analysis to Development

The starting point of our work was the analysis of the existing BNB criteria. We examined the content and relevance of the criteria as well as their interrelationships to ensure their relevance to the protection goals and minimize conflicts of objectives. Additionally, we analyzed the placement of the criteria in the planning and construction process to facilitate practical application.

Based on this, we further developed the criteria and worked out new ones. This included background research – such as regarding current developments in research or regulation, European guidelines, or existing labels and certifications – as well as the development of indicators, including calculation and evaluation methods, and the establishment of requirement values and evaluation standards. Key results of our work are:

Key results of our work are:

• New fact sheet for local biodiversity in building construction
• Biodiversity indicators for integration into the BNB base tool
• New universal fact sheet for global biodiversity
• New fact sheet for external climate costs
• Further developed fact sheet for mobility
• Further developed fact sheet for water, including the indicator “circular water resource” to promote nature-based water balance
• Further developed fact sheet for land efficiency

Another universal fact sheet on life cycle costs is currently under development and will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2025. In this context, we are also developing a practical calculation tool for life cycle costs.

Publication of the Results

We are proud to have made a significant contribution to the further development of the BNB and to actively shape the sustainable transformation of the construction sector. Currently, the finalization of the overall system is being advanced, followed by a planned pilot phase.

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