Sustainable design principles in construction sector

Abstract

Building construction affects each four topics of sustainable development that are ecological, economic, social and cultural development. Progress towards the sustainable construction requires novel technologies and policies; not only for the new buildings but also for the refurbishing processes. The industry has taken several steps to improve efficient use of resources, as well as the health and comfort of living surroundings. Managing the performance of buildings and built environment from users’ and societies’ points of views is becoming more important due to market needs and due to the demands associated with sustainability. Approaches to adopt sustainable wholebuilding principles are under development. In this paper, some integrated approaches to adopt sustainability principles in building design are presented. Aiming at a real progress in sustainable construction presupposes knowledge on the applicability and limitations of the evaluation methods. The subjective rating and valuation inside the current environmental assessment procedures complicates development of unanimous methods. Extension of evaluation to other sustainability aspects requires indicators that are even more dependent on the context. As the evaluation of sustainability remains characterised by local and value-driven factors, the future building design methods need a generic basis with flexibility in implementation.