Gold certificate confirms sustainable construction

Building standards promote sustainability throughout the entire life cycle

The external page Minergie building standard, for example, focuses on energy efficiency and CO?-free operation. It considers how a building is heated and cooled, whether there is sufficient thermal insulation, and air renewal with heat recovery. Minergie-Eco, a standard that the BSS meets, also considers the recyclability of the building materials used.

As there was no specific sustainability standard for laboratory buildings in Switzerland, ETH Zurich collaborated with the external page Schweizer Gesellschaft f¨¹r Nachhaltige Immobilienwirtschaft (SGNI) to adapt the relevant building standard of the external page German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) to local conditions.

The DGNB standard aims to provide a holistic assessment of the sustainability of buildings and sites, taking into account environmental, economic, functional and technical qualities as well as the quality of the project planning and realisation process. The BSS is the first laboratory building in Switzerland to be awarded the DGNB Gold certificate.

Environmental, functional and economic quality

A look at holistic certification systems such as DGNB shows the breadth of sustainable construction criteria. To assess a project¡¯s environmental quality, the system considers the need for floor space, energy and water, but also the expected emissions ¨C or measures for bird protection.

The sociocultural component examines the integration of a building into its neighbourhood, among other things. Functional qualities focus on user comfort, ranging from minimum requirements such as barrier-free access and safety, to aspects like air quality, temperature regulation, natural light and acoustics.

Technical quality is reflected in aspects such as thermal and sound insulation, and the quality of technical systems. These are assessed in terms of their operating costs, among other things.

The focus is on life cycle costs

Operating costs, such as cleaning, maintenance, servicing and operation, play an important role as they are significant cost factors when aggregated over the entire life cycle of a building.

The certification system therefore assesses the total life cycle costs of the building. Additionally, the economic analysis rewards flexible usage concepts and modularity, as buildings should be adaptable to changing user demands without excessive effort. Finally, the DGNB standard also considers the efficiency of planning processes and construction quality to a limited extent.

Certification starts with planning

But why should planning be reflected in a sustainable construction certificate? In fact, when applied correctly, the certification system is in itself a tool for planning and optimisation, from the design phase through to completion. It helps to identify and rectify any undesirable developments at an early stage.

It was therefore no surprise that the BSS in Basel was awarded the gold certificate. Sustainable construction begins in the planning and project phases. A building will only pass the final inspection and be certified accordingly if the relevant sustainability criteria are considered from the outset.

Sustainable construction is firmly anchored at ETH

Thanks to its substantial real estate portfolio, ETH Zurich is a significant builder, and its commitment to sustainability carries weight. The gold certificate for the BSS building is just the latest example of this. The GLC building (Gloria Cube), which became operational in 2024, also meets the gold standard but has not received official certification. So does the HPQ project, which is currently under construction. The refurbishment of the HIF building even achieved a platinum pre-certificate in 2018.

Indeed, the BSS narrowly missed out on platinum, the highest level, achieving 78.9 points instead of the required 80. Moreover, the BSS is a prime example of how sustainable construction is compatible with good architecture. After all, the design by Munich-based Nickl & Partner Architekten won the 'Iconic Award 2023'.

To ensure that future ETH buildings continue to meet high sustainable construction standards, ETH summarised its requirements in its own technical regulation (BTV) on sustainability.