HI-CON IS A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

Framework for sustainable development in the construction industry

WHAT IS THE COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING AND DGNB?

The Council for Sustainable Building is a non-profit organization that works towards a healthy and sustainable development of the construction industry with minimal climate impact. An important part of their work is managing DGNB certifications.

DGNB is a voluntary certification scheme that evaluates construction, buildings, and urban areas based on 36 criteria divided into 6 main areas. The key areas include environmental quality, economic quality, and social quality. The construction is then ranked as bronze, silver, gold, or platinum and has the opportunity to receive heart, diamond, and planet as additional distinctions.

For example:

To achieve a DGNB Platinum certification, the project must score at least 80% in the overall assessment and at least 65% in each of the main areas.

In addition to certifications, the Council for Sustainable Building also offers knowledge, advice, and workshops to promote sustainability in construction.

WHAT DOES THE MEMBERSHIP MEAN FOR US?

At Hi-Con, we are aware of the significant impact that sustainable projects, materials, and resources have on our customers, our world, and our future.

Therefore, we have a clear objective to reduce our environmental impact throughout the entire process and continue to challenge and develop our Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to become better than before. We have a sustainable incentive, as we strive to be more sustainable and actively work on developing the elements and resources we use in our daily work.

Our membership with the Council for Sustainable Building is another push in the right direction, as it allows Hi-Con to gain more knowledge about sustainability and receive advice on how we can improve.

HOW DO WE CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO DEVELOPMENT?

Here you can find concrete examples of how our company and material can contribute positively to healthier development.

We have a product-specific EPD (Environmental Product Declaration), which means we only impact the construction with the actual burden. If an industry EPD is used, a factor of 1.1 is added, and when using generic data, a penalty factor of 1.3 is applied.
When assessed per cubic meter, we impact more than regular concrete. But when assessed per functional unit - e.g., a square meter balcony - as done in DGNB, our calculations show that we use less material compared to regular concrete because we use slender elements. Compared to steel balconies, a study shows that our concept balcony emits 22.8% less CO2.
We are resource-saving thanks to our slender elements.
Our material requires no maintenance.
We have a very long lifespan - over 100 years - which eliminates the need for replacement.
We typically use a design suitable for disassembly, which contributes to the circular economy.
Additionally, we contribute in several other areas. We use no environmentally hazardous substances, we generally contribute with architectural quality, our constructions are moisture- and fireproof, and generally of high quality. Furthermore, we can often design relatively large balconies for buildings, which provides a good outdoor experience.