Chapter 10: Sustainable practices in the project life cycle

The sustainability approach is commonly seen and accepted as a strategic key element for the resilient future development of our planet in the face of global threats such as resource scarcity, climate change and population growth. Here, ‘sustainability’ means to balance the, equally important, environmental goals with economic and social goals and interests for all the current generations (intra-generational) and those still to come (intergenerational).

It goes without saying that sectors such as the construction and real estate industry carry a special burden of responsibility due to the enormous material and energy flows over the life cycle of their main products (i.e. buildings).