Information portal

QNG Sustainable Building Certification

Sustainable building

Applying the principles of sustainable development and its management is a complex issue. This also particularly applies to the construction and building industry. The actual application of these principles to sustainable building planning, construction and use concepts, plus the associated upstream and downstream processes, also requires adapting to the situation on site and these principles’ integration into the area of work and responsibility of the stakeholders involved. When it comes to building projects, the general objectives of sustainable development always have to be applied on a case-by-case basis.

Recent years have seen the establishment of a number of assessment systems for sustainable building that translate sustainability requirements into manageable criteria and practical planning principles and assessment standards in Germany. In addition to economic and utilisation-related aspects, these systems also take planetary boundaries and distributive and intergenerational justice into account in their assessments.

Sustainable building and sustainability certification are effective quality assurance tools and are supported by the funding programmes Climate-friendly New Builds (KFN) and the Federal Subsidy for Efficient Buildings (BEG). 

QNG Sustainable Building Certification (QNG)

The QNG Sustainable Building Certification (QNG)) scheme of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) promotes a uniform understanding of sustainability and simultaneously creates a secure legal basis for allocating subsidies. Its aim is to firmly establish the objectives and principles of sustainable planning, building and building operation in the German construction and building industry.

QNG Certification ensures that building measures and certification procedures are based on a uniform and shared understanding of sustainability, align with internationally recognised sustainability goals, comply with national and international standards and support the implementation of Germany's Sustainable Development Strategy.

The criteria and conditions for QNG Certification are defined by the Federal Government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB).

Requirements for QNG Certification

In order to qualify for the award of the QNG Certification, a building has to be certified by means of a registered assessment system for sustainable building and fulfil special requirements in the public interest. 

QNG Certification is based on the assessment systems for sustainable building already established in Germany. Certifying buildings with quality-assured assessment systems ensures that they are planned holistically and that their qualities are presented in a transparent manner. 

The Federal Ministry of building has furthermore used the QNG’s “Special requirements” to define additional uniform minimum standards for sustainable building for certain criteria that are of particular public interest.