The Impact of Danish Green Building Certification (DGNB) on organizations work processes and documentation work

DGNB (Danish Green Building Certification) is a certification which is adapted to Danish legislation and norms from a German certification for sustainable construction. Today there is an increasing number of partners involved in this certification, and many discussions evolves around the effects of producing a DGNB certification of a building. To achieve the chosen certification level (silver, gold or platinum), extensive documentation of tests, calculations and processes is required. Traditionally, production of documentation is integrated into or sidelines the (physical) construction process, but a DGNB certification will require implementation of new tasks, processes, and procedures. The introduction of new practical tasks, as well as through a development of visibility and responsibility for production and handling of documentation, a DGNB certification will by producing a common database for all DGNB documentation, transform the involved organizations and open for changes in construction practices and building design. Our research is aimed to help qualify and improve a DGNB certification, by making the involved parties, including builders, consultants, and contractors, able to gain an insight into the various challenges. This will help to draw up a plan for work tasks involved, and create efficient modes of work, to achieve the respective grades and criteria of a DGNB certified building. A qualitative method has been used in the form of literacy assessment and semi-structured interviews conducted with a DGNB auditor and an architect involved in DGNB certification processes, along with a questionnaire that allows researchers to investigate the challenges of organizations to fulfill the demands for documentation. The interviews are analyzed to detect and unfold challenging issues of the organizations. The discussion presents experiences and issues that were challenged within a DGNB certification process, pointing out some key factors in improving workflows and improving the effectiveness of the documentation, e.g. increasing the interdisciplinary interaction between involved actors early in the design phase.