The study examines the role of low-rise architecture in achieving environmental sustainability of big cities. The paper considers the methodological and practical aspects of the possibility of introducing the number of storeys criterion into the standards of environmental assessment of construction projects. The methods of comparative analysis of international assessment systems, modeling and assessment of the life cycle of buildings and statistical analysis of the relationship between the number of storeys parameters and the environmental impact of buildings are used. It is determined that height regulation is one of the key factors in increasing energy efficiency, reducing resource intensity and the carbon footprint of buildings. An analysis of the existing limitations in the systems for assessing the environmental sustainability of buildings that do not take into account the number of storeys as an independent criterion is carried out. The need to modernize the general assessment methodology to include new floor criteria is substantiated. The effectiveness of the LCA approach in order to identify hidden compromises in achieving environmental sustainability of cities is proven. A set of measures has been proposed aimed at the environmental modernization of low-rise historical buildings and the transformation of peripheral high-rise areas of big cities. The obtained results form a scientific and theoretical basis for developing a balanced architectural and urban development strategy for maintaining environmental sustainability in big cities.
D. Alimova (Thu,) studied this question.