Hafencity certification categories

The Hafencity Ecolabel certifies sustainable buildings in two stages.

Gold: for special achievements in the respective category
Special achievements (Gold) refer to the ecological characteristics of the building, which can be implemented either without additional costs or with economically justifiable additional costs if specified at an early stage. These additional costs are considered justifiable if they are amortized within a short period of time through the operation of the building.

Platinum: for exceptional performance in the respective category Exceptional performance (platinum) refers to sustainable features of the building that can be achieved through innovative measures. These measures generally require additional effort in terms of planning, implementation and construction costs.

In order to achieve platinum certification, the special achievements of the respective categories must also be fulfilled. Compliance with category 1 “Sustainable use of energy resources” is mandatory for Platinum certification.

Below is a summary of the five categories and the respective requirements to fulfill the requirements for Platinum and Gold:

K1 Sustainable use of energy resources

Ecolabel category 1 as mandatory category Platinum

Undercutting the total primary energy demand of the reference building in accordance with the requirements of the EnEV and undercutting the permissible transmission heat loss or the permissible heat transfer coefficients, generation of electricity from renewable energy, monitoring. The Gold level is already integrated here and cannot be purchased separately.

K2 Sustainable use of public goods Ecolabel category 2

Platinum
Roof use, good accessibility and adaptability (accessibility), increased traffic and mobility requirements (electromobility)

Gold
Architectural competition, no heavy metal discharge into bodies of water, accessibility and adaptability of the building (barrier-free), traffic and mobility requirements (electromobility), publicly accessible use of the ground floor and/or terp floor, neighborhood management

K3 Use of environmentally friendly building products Ecolabel category 3

Platinum
Planning-accompanying ecological assessment, balancing of the building materials used with regard to global impact parameters

Gold
Compliance with requirements regarding biocides, heavy metals, organic solvents and building materials to be labeled as sensitizing, environmentally hazardous; use of certified woods

K4 Special consideration of health and comfort

Platinum
Lower target values for indoor air quality (TVOC), for thermal comfort (categories according to DIN EN 15251) and user influence (climate, lighting and glare protection) and an additional 20% of areas with allergy-friendly furnishings

Gold
Target values for indoor air quality (TVOC), for thermal comfort (categories according to DIN EN 15251), user influence (climate, lighting and glare protection)

K5 Sustainable building operation Ecolabel category 5

Platinum
Increased requirements for cleaning, maintenance, servicing, high acoustic comfort and sound insulation, good dismantling and recycling capability, early involvement of facility management, building operation/user manual

Gold
Cleaning, maintenance, servicing, acoustic comfort and sound insulation, reduction of water consumption, information for building operation

Source: Environmental ponds Hafencity