Research

As the topic area "Sustainability" is relatively new, many uncertainties about what concrete measures are required for achieving a "sustainable" society coexist alongside the already developed numerous guidelines and recommendations.

We are working actively in research projects with topics relevant to sustainability and our expertise is put to good use. Here we differentiate fundamentally between research projects on the theoretical / legal / normative level and the practical level:

Development of theoretical principles

For many areas of sustainable building there is a lack of measurable and thus testable basis of assessment. We would like to continue to cooperate in this field in national and international research projects on topics concerning sustainability and contribute our experiences in developing the theoretical principles and in the development of practical solution strategies.

Under the development of theoretical fundamentals we understand, for example, cooperation in projects of the Environment Research Plan (UFOPLAN) and other studies called for by state institutions. Here we want to participate in shaping our future through the development of legal and normative criteria for further use in committees in the Federal Government and for example in the European Commission.

Development of strategies for a practical implementation

We are developing specific guidelines for the following practical implementation on the legal and normative level requirements adopted. Wherever possible we try to make early contact with representatives from industry in order to take account of their experience in our research. Through this integrated approach, we achieve a high degree of acceptance for the solutions we develop, so quick implementation can be achieved.

In the context of practical research projects we are working on the following questions for example:

  • How should the required goals be implemented in practice?

  • How can meaningful incentives be created, which support implementation of agreed goals in the economy?

  • To what extent can and should business leaders be involved in the development of objectives?

  • What manufacturer's data is required for this and how this can be recognized with as little effort for the manufacturer as possible?

  • How can manufacturers, planners and building owners be supported in the implementation?

We work on these issues and create specific guidelines for practical implementation.