Building Blocks of Sustainability
“I'm a big believer of knowledge sharing, to bring down the barriers of existing knowledge not being used. We need to motivate people to learn from each other.”
Dr Christine Lemaitre, WEGCA 2019 Eco Innovator Award Winner
Chief Executive Officer, German Sustainable Building Council
Dr. Christine had been growing the German Sustainable Building Council’s (DGNB, abbreviation in German) members, certifications and training ever since she assumed the role as its CEO in 2010. DGNB is the largest green building council in Europe today and has developed and maintained the most advanced certification system for buildings and city districts.
Christine is also responsible for developing the international activities of the DGNB and has developed and fostered very successful collaborations with like minded Green Building Councils in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Bulgaria. By introducing the Version 2018 of the DGNB System the organization has taken its certification system to the next level.
Christine has been actively promoting and designing the strategy and the key elements of this very unique approach by introducing as the first system worldwide circular economy into a building certification system. DGNB has thereby created a tool which is fostering innovation by incorporating innovation spaces in almost all criteria and is focusing on future challenges by addressing the agenda 2030 goals as well as the SDGs of the UN.
The DGNB is one of the first established Green Building Councils and since 2016 Christine has been a board member of the World Green Building Council (WGBC).
She is also a member of the Advisory Council for Baukultur of the State of Baden-Württemberg, the Sustainability Board of the German Property Federation (ZIA) and the board of directors of the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute.
Christine is a true believer in making a positive contribution to our global challenges through buildings and is a dedicated advocate for more and transparent quality of our built environment.
