The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) has, in collaboration with various partners, launched the “Social Positive” award. This instrument aims to systematically capture and assess the social quality of buildings and neighbourhoods. The evaluation takes place on-site to verify the actual implementation and acceptance of the social parameters defined during the planning phase in ongoing operation. The initiative thus sets new standards and provides visibility for projects that make a positive contribution to social cohesion and social justice.
According to Dr. Christine Lemaitre, CEO of the DGNB, the award creates a valid framework to make the public welfare-oriented added value of real estate visible and assessable. She emphasised that this is not only socially relevant but also strategically important for owners, as social quality contributes significantly to the long-term value stability of a property. The focus is on projects that go beyond their primary function, strengthen community structures, enable participation, and enhance quality of life. Crucially, this involves not only an innovative usage concept but also integration into the surrounding neighbourhood and the creation of added value for the community. Award-winning projects should represent a building culture in which the social dimension is understood and implemented as an integrated component of sustainable development.
Collaborations and Industry Relevance
The development of the catalogue of requirements was carried out in close cooperation with a number of partners. According to Dr. Lemaitre, this collaborative approach was crucial to thoroughly elaborate the criteria from diverse perspectives and consistently promote the strengthening of social cohesion in architecture. Participating organisations include the Green Building Councils from Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and Croatia, the Deutscher Werkbund, the Hamburger Kreativ Gesellschaft, the BIS Institut für Sozialforschung Berlin, the Montag Stiftung Urbane Räume, and the gif Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung. The Institute for Corporate Governance in the German Real Estate Industry (ICG) acted as an initiator and co-founder.
Susanne Eickermann-Riepe FRICS, Chairwoman of the ICG Board and Chairwoman of the DGNB Real Estate Advisory Board, underlined the importance of the award for the real estate industry. She stressed the necessity of systematically measuring and visualising the social contribution of projects, in addition to ecological and economic factors, to ensure competitiveness. The DGNB “Social Positive” award makes exactly this possible. She expressed her pleasure at the DGNB’s leading implementation of this topic.
Eight Thematic Fields and the Award Procedure
The new award is divided into eight specific thematic fields that address a positive impact on the environment and society. These include “Public and User Involvement”, “Accessibility and Inclusion”, “Health and Wellbeing”, “Safety and Security”, “Social Cohesion and Community Use”, “Economic and Social Suitability”, “Sustainability with Social Added Value”, and “User Feedback and User Satisfaction”. These criteria examine aspects from integration into the neighbourhood to barrier-free access and crime prevention measures, through to the promotion of community structures and the use of green infrastructure. The assessment documents are publicly accessible.
- —Public and User Involvement
- —Accessibility and Inclusion
- —Health and Wellbeing
- —Safety and Security
The award procedure is designed in two stages and is currently in a pilot phase. Projects can be registered independently of an existing DGNB certification. Buildings and neighbourhoods in Germany as well as in partner countries Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and Croatia are eligible. A prerequisite for participation is the completion and full commissioning of the project. An expert commission first reviews the submitted documents for outstanding implementation and lived social and public welfare-oriented aspects. If the result is positive, an on-site visit takes place, during which the commission assesses the actual impact of the project using a questionnaire covering the eight thematic fields.
