Press and Media

30 September 2019

Digitalisation and sustainability in the real-estate industry

“Digitalisation partner to the real-estate industry” is TÜV SÜD's motto at Expo Real 2019, held between 7 and 9 October 2019 in Munich. Focus topics at TÜV SÜD's stand at Expo Real include sustainability certification, optimum use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and reducing the risk in real-estate transactions. (Hall C 1, Stand 320)

Sustainability certification is set to gain further in significance in the future. “We are convinced that the market will come to focus increasingly on sustainable properties”, says Joachim Birnthaler, CEO of TÜV SÜD's Real Estate & Infrastructure Division. “Sustainability certificates provide investors with certainty that their investments are sustainable, and thus also valuable from an economic perspective.” With 589 certificates already issued in 83 countries worldwide, BRE Global's BREEAM standard is one of the leading sustainability standards in Europe and worldwide. Since TÜV SÜD acquired DIFNI (Deutsches Privates Institut für Nachhaltige Immobilienwirtschaft) in 2016, it has been the exclusive licence partner for BREEAM certification in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. One of BREEAM's key advantages is that the standard can be adopted to national regulations. Given this, BREEAM certification can take into account the characteristics of the German market and German building standards while offering international comparability – an advantage particularly valued by investors holding international real-estate portfolios.

Seizing value-added offered by BIM method

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an integrated model-based work method used for the generation and management of information in building projects. In addition, the aim for the future is for BIM data to be used for efficient facility management. “With appropriate standardisation, BIM data may form the basis of end-to-end data management from the design of a building to its construction and operation”, explains Norbert Rupp, Business Unit Manager in TÜV SÜD's Real Estate & Infrastructure Division. TÜV SÜD's impartial vendor-independent experts support stakeholders in managing the complexity of digital models, helping them to realise the actual value-added offered by the BIM method.

Reducing transaction risks

The potential risks surrounding real-estate transactions have increased for all market players over recent years. Offering a broad service portfolio ranging from “classic” due diligence services to real-estate valuation and sustainability certification, TÜV SÜD contributes significantly to reducing transaction risks and securing investments in the long term. Experts and auditors from TÜV SÜD ImmoWert GmbH offer valuations and assessments of residential and commercial, special-purpose and managed properties, while the experts from TÜV SÜD Advimo – AdvISE provide sustainability auditing and/or advisory services according to international standards such as BREEAM, LEED or DNGB, as well as advisory and simulation services in the field of energy efficiency.

Detailed information on these services can be found on the Internet at www.tuev-sued.de/real-estate and www.tuev-sued.de/advimo or from 7 to 9 October 2019 at Expo Real in Munich (Hall C1, Stand 320).

Note for editorial teams: For high-resolution photo please feel free to contact [email protected].

Press-contact: Dr Thomas Oberst