Strategic asset management incorporating ecologically sustainable development

Strategic asset management (SAM) provides guiding principles for strategic planning, procurement, use and disposal of public sector buildings. It is proposed that the whole SAM process must incorporate the principles and practices of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) founded upon intra‐generational equity, intergenerational equity, biodiversity, precaution, true cost assessment and continuous improvement principles. The paper presents observations and interim conclusions from a research project to develop a methodology of SAM incorporating the principles and practices of ESD. The paper describes the principles of SAM and ESD, makes observations about actual and potential connections and puts forward a matrix which correlates steps in SAM processes with desired outcomes of ESD. This matrix exploits a life‐cycle assessment approach used to develop planning frameworks, useful for developing macro‐level concepts such as ecological footprints and micro‐level building performance benchmarks. It is postulated that the goal of ‘sustainable building’ must become embedded in existing processes of SAM and in any improvements to those processes. It is understood that any integrated system of SAM and ESD will use, conserve and enhance the community’s resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased.