The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) will have its own stand at the Expo Real real estate fair in Munich from 5 to 7 October 2026. The organisation intends to offer a programme of discussions and networking. In addition to expert panels covering topics such as existing buildings, circular construction, building type E and certification, this year's focus is on discussion rounds with affiliated partner organisations. The DGNB stand is located in Hall B1 at position 433. The overarching motto of the presence is "Transforming Real Estate since 2007. The Global DGNB Movement."
Dr. Christine Lemaitre, DGNB's Chief Executive Officer, emphasised the importance of Expo Real as a benchmark for the development of sustainable building within the real estate industry. She explained that sustainability and all related aspects continue to be central future themes, which is reflected in the number of certificates awarded again at the fair. The objective is to shift debates to an objective level and to consider the aspects of sustainability, economic viability, and affordability integrally, rather than playing them off against each other.
The programme at the DGNB stand, B1.433, is open to interested parties without registration on all days of the fair. On 5 October, the first day of the fair begins at 10:00 with a future workshop on existing buildings. Subsequently, at 10:45, practical experiences with the new 2023.2 version of the DGNB System for new constructions will be exchanged. The official stand opening at 11:30 will be conducted by DGNB Board members Dr. Christine Lemaitre and Johannes Kreißig, as well as DGNB President Prof. Amandus Samsøe Sattler, who will speak about the development of the DGNB and the current situation of sustainable building.
The first of several collaborative discussion rounds starts at 12:00 with the Circular Economy Network Circle, under the title "From Ideal to Reality – will circular building become cheaper?". Further cooperative discussion formats on the first day of the fair include a session with the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate (ÖGNI) at 14:00 on "Lifelong learning as a key to transformation" and a discussion with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) at 15:30 concerning future competencies in the real estate industry. Further panels will address climate risks for the financial industry from 15:00 and the function of Building Type E in conjunction with certification from 16:30. The first day of the fair concludes with the networking meeting for municipal building commissioners, which begins at 17:00 in cooperation with the Federal Foundation for Baukultur.
The second day of the fair, 6 October, starts at 10:00 with a market overview on sustainable building. A discussion round on building refurbishment in cooperation with the BAKA Federal Association for Old Building Renovation follows at 10:30. At 11:00, it will be discussed how the potential of existing buildings and portfolios can be unlocked through DGNB certification. Together with the German Property Federation (ZIA), the relevance of sustainability for Germany as a business location will be analysed from 12:00. From 14:00, the panel "Of Errors and Confusions" will provide an assessment of current political debates. The gif Society for Real Estate Research will discuss the classification of Green Leases from 15:00, before possibilities for cost savings in sustainable building and refurbishment are addressed at 15:30. The day concludes from 16:30 with the English-language discussion round "The Global Perspective: Strategies for Climate- and Culture-Responsive Architecture" in cooperation with the Federal Chamber of Architects, as well as the networking meeting for architects from 17:00, offered in collaboration with the Network for Architecture Export NAX and the Phase Sustainability Initiative.
On the third day of the fair, 7 October 2026, the programme begins at 10:00 with the panel "ReUse instead of Demolition: How R-Strategies Make Renovation an Economic and Ecological Success Model". A fishbowl discussion, inviting fair visitors to interactive participation, takes place at 11:00. Here, the impulses of Expo Real and their implications will be discussed. In addition to the content programme, numerous certificate awards are planned, including the honouring of the first project certified according to version 2023.2 of the DGNB System for new constructions. Key awards will take place on the first two days of the fair from 13:15 at the DGNB stand, while further awards will be presented individually at the stands of the respective building owners. The motto "Transforming Real Estate since 2007. The Global DGNB Movement." summarises the strategic orientation of the DGNB.
