Architectural Design: Sustainability in the Decision-Making Process

This article discusses the potential of introducing sustainability in the architectural design method so that building solutions can contribute to sustainable development. Sustainability has introduced a new pattern to the architecture practice, which involves important modifications in the teaching of architecture in what regards to the design methods to students but also practitioners, in order to provide more comfort for present and future generations. In the design phases of the architectural design, the subject of the three pillars of sustainability—economic, social and environmental factors—are not always considered by the architect in the decision-making process. The topic involves actions that will influence the overall performance of the building throughout its lifecycle. Sustainability has not been a priority in the training of the architect. The existing tools, Sustainability Assessment and Certification Systems, although adequate to evaluate the sustainability component of a building, do not prove to be the most appropriate tool to support architects during the design process. Therefore, the implementation and evaluation of strategies that integrate the sustainability principles need to be included in the early stages of the architectural design method. In addition to collecting data through literature review, a survey was conducted among 217 architects and architecture students in order to access the need for a tool that supports architects in the issue of sustainability. The results concluded that, although all the respondents agree about what concerns the implementation of sustainability principles in the architectural design method, only few respondents guarantee that these principles are implemented by means of a rigorous evaluation. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify a set of guidelines that can help architects to change the current approach of architectural practice towards more sustainable strategies in building design. This means the introduction, implementation and evaluation of sustainability principles in different phases of the architectural design method. The proposal stresses the main strategies that need to be considered in each phase of the architectural project and defines a level of recommendation in each guideline that allows the architect to evaluate the implementation of sustainability.