ZGRADONAČELNIK Snježana Turalija

Guest Snježana TuralijaHosted by Ana LekoJune 3, 2026

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

For years, sustainable construction in Croatia was largely driven by a few enthusiasts. Snježana Turalija, owner of GREENiKA and a leading expert in sustainable building and certification, witnessed this firsthand: many conferences, few actual construction sites. Today, however, with EU taxonomy dictating access to capital and climate risks becoming a daily reality for designers, the landscape has fundamentally shifted. She explains how green building has moved from a niche concept to a financial and regulatory imperative, and why certifications are no longer just an added value but a market precondition. This conversation unpacks what sustainable building truly means in practice, why Croatia is still catching up, and what it takes for a building to be considered truly 'green' in the eyes of investors and regulators.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Sustainable construction isn't just about energy efficiency; Snježana Turalija defines it by six interconnected elements: ecological, economic, technical, socio-cultural, process-related, and location-specific. You cannot claim a building is truly green without considering its full impact across all these dimensions, from design to demolition.

The Croatian market for green building shifted from mere enthusiasm to genuine investor interest only in the last five to six years, driven by the ability to *control* and *measure* sustainability through certifications. Without a verifiable, external standard, green claims remain subjective; with it, they become a market asset.

DGNB certification is not a compliance checklist but a 'nadstandard' — a tool for achieving performance *above* legal requirements. It measures how much better a building is than the law demands, proving that real progress in sustainability often requires exceeding the baseline.

Snježana Turalija observes that stakeholders are often 'shocked and taken aback' by how logical DGNB certification requirements are, asking why they aren't already enshrined in law. The most impactful sustainability criteria often feel like common sense once understood, highlighting the gap between current regulations and best practices.

Achieving a DGNB certificate is a 'multidisciplinary process' that requires participation from everyone: consultants, investors, designers, contractors, subcontractors, and even bankers and local authorities. Sustainable projects demand integrated collaboration across the entire ecosystem, not just isolated efforts.

The ideal time to involve sustainability consultants is from the 'conceptual design' phase, allowing them to help prepare the building to achieve the best possible certification score. Treating sustainability as an afterthought, rather than an early design principle, severely limits a project's potential.

Sustainable building principles apply to 'everything' — from new construction like schools and hospitals to the renovation of existing structures, brownfield sites, and both urban and rural regeneration projects. Sustainability is not limited to new builds; it offers value across the entire lifecycle of any property.

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Snježana Turalija

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