DGNB Diamond - aesthetic quality in sustainable construction

"I really appreciate being a professional judge because it creates a professional space where we challenge and develop each other. The objective of the interesting domicile project we evaluated yesterday is not only to achieve a DGNB Platinum certification, but also to achieve the DGNB Diamond certificate for sustainable construction of high architectural quality," explains Mikkel Beedholm, creative partner at KHR Architecture.

"DGNB Diamond is a certification that I find particularly interesting because it helps to highlight the architectural quality of sustainable construction, and thus that sustainability and aesthetically successful architecture can - and in my should opinion should - go hand in hand."

"Consider that the lifetime of the building is a crucial parameter for the sustainability profile. If we build without architectural quality, we also shorten the life expectancy of the building, and this costs both the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the building's lifetime perspective."

When a building is to be certified under the DGNB Diamond scheme, a group of leading architects from the Danish Architects' Association carries out a peer review early in the project phase based on parameters such as functionality, durability and beauty, focusing on both the overall plan level, the interior spaces and the details of the project. The recommendations are taken forward by the client into the finished project, which can achieve the Diamond certificate if the overall rating is either excellent or excellent, which are the best grades on a 7-point scale.

DGNB Diamond requires that the building obtains a DGNB sustainability certification..