The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) has awarded the RESI office building, the headquarters of Alpha IC GmbH on the Lagarde Campus in Bamberg, with the DGNB Gold Certificate. The official certificate handover took place during Expo Real in Munich. Patrick Mahler, a partner of the company, accepted the certificate on behalf of Alpha IC GmbH. The handover was performed by Dr. Christine Lemaitre and Johannes Kreißig, managing directors of DGNB e.V., as well as Prof. Amandus Samsøe Sattler, President of the DGNB.
The certification acknowledges the high sustainability quality of the three-storey office building, which achieved an overall fulfilment rate of 81.5 percent. Specific criteria were particularly recognised, in which RESI achieved the maximum score of 100 out of 100 points. These include essential aspects of sustainable building and property operation.
Sustainability as a Planning Maxim
For Alpha IC GmbH, a consulting firm for sustainable planning, construction, and operation of buildings, the certification was not the sole objective. Rather, from the outset of the project, the focus was on realising an office building with minimised resource consumption, low CO2 emissions, and energy-autonomous operation. The company carried out significant planning services itself. The integrated planning team, consisting of hehnpohl Architektur bda from Münster and the general contractor, began collaboration as early as planning phase 0, guided by the principles of 'Efficiency first' and 'More with less'.
- —Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- —Life Cycle Costs (LCC)
- —Flexibility and convertibility
- —FM-compliant planning
- —Information systems and user information
The name RESI is an acronym for Responsibility, Efficiency, Sustainability, and Inspiration, which summarises the building's sufficient construction and operating concept. Sebastian Hölzlein, Managing Director and client of Alpha IC GmbH, stated that the DGNB certification confirms that sustainable construction does not necessarily mean greater technical complexity. He emphasised the importance of early strategic decisions, considering the entire life cycle, and the courage to forgo certain elements.
The planning, construction, and operation of the building were based on extensive simulations that optimised the architecture, energy, and usage concept from early stages. As a so-called low-tech building, RESI functions without conventional heating and active cooling. A highly insulated building envelope, thermal storage masses, intelligent building automation, night ventilation, and a high-performance in-roof photovoltaic system with battery storage ensure energy efficiency and user comfort. Throughout the year, the building generates more energy than it consumes for its operation. The project also stands out economically: the construction costs of EUR 1,961/m² GFA, based on BKI data (planning status Q2 2025), are 17 percent below the German national average.
