Sustainability certifications are increasingly establishing themselves as a standard in the German office property market. By the end of the first half of 2026, the stock of certified, pre-certified, or certification-registered office space in the seven major property hubs of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, and Stuttgart amounted to approximately 19 million square metres. This means nearly one in five square metres of the total office space in these metropolitan areas now holds a sustainability certification.
This development emerges from "Cesar 2026" (Certification and Sustainability Radar), an analysis by JLL that examines the office space stock and demand for certified properties. Helge Scheunemann, Head of Research JLL Germany, comments that the increasing impacts of climate change and the evolving regulatory framework are heightening the pressure on companies and investors to systematically address climate risks. Certifications such as DGNB, LEED, and BREEAM serve as measurable and comparable quality standards in this regard.
Rising Demand Despite Market Uncertainties
Despite economic uncertainties and subdued demand for space, the relevance of certified office properties continues to grow. While total office space take-up in the seven hubs in the first half of 2026 was 1.35 million square metres, approximately 580,000 square metres of this comprised certified space. The proportion of certified office space in the total take-up thus reached a new high of 43 per cent, up from 40 per cent in the previous year.
Frankfurt am Main continued to record the highest proportion of certified space within its office stock, increasing it by eight percentage points year-on-year to 32 per cent. The strongest percentage gains were seen in Düsseldorf with 24 per cent and Berlin with 22 per cent. In Düsseldorf, DGNB Gold certifications for the rwi4 in the government district, among others, contributed to this development. In Berlin, the Quartier Heidestraße – Track Central Line in Europacity and the Forum Tower at Potsdamer Platz, both DGNB Gold certified, were particularly instrumental in the additional space growth.
Importance of Building Quality Outside Prime Locations
Daniel Bey, Head of Project & Development Services JLL and Tetris Germany, notes that requirements for office space continue to rise. Companies are now scrutinising new leases much more intensely and increasingly value sustainability, energy efficiency, and long-term resilience. Certifications are evolving from a distinguishing feature to a standard in this context. A striking development is observed outside traditional prime locations: while the certification share in these locations decreased by eight percentage points, it increased by eight percentage points in secondary and tertiary locations. Both location categories were almost on par, with 44 and 42 per cent respectively. This development underscores that for less central locations, building quality, and thus sustainability certifications, are becoming crucial for marketability.
The growing importance of sustainable office space is also evident in the sector analysis. In the first half of 2026, the transport, traffic, and warehousing sector recorded the highest share of certified deals at 80 per cent. IT, and industry and trade followed with 54 per cent each, while banks and financial service providers achieved 51 per cent. For deals over 1,000 square metres, 69 per cent of the take-up by foreign companies involved certified office space, whereas this proportion was 47 per cent for domestic users. According to Scheunemann, sustainability certifications in the office property market have definitively evolved from a 'nice-to-have' to a 'must-have', as demand for certified space is growing faster than supply, and certified buildings are becoming a decisive competitive factor given regulatory requirements and rising ESG expectations.
