Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals in Building Projects

Abstract

Building designers are struggling to deeply integrate the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in projects. The review of the literature revealed that the available research is focused on linking the current practices, including sustainable building practices, with the SDGs. This has, in turn, limited the development of novel approaches as well as new building design methodologies that specifically aim at attaining the agenda's targets. To help building design teams achieve the meaningful integration of the agenda's five Ps, this paper proposes two analytical mapping tools which can be used during the integrated design process to track the integration of SDGs in the building projects, and to analyze the building design approaches and visions in reference to the topics of the goals. The research uses a case study for an energy-positive building in Quebec to test the proposed tools. The analysis focuses on the integration of 8 of 17 SDGs, discusses the specific building features which were used to achieve this integration, and analyzes the team's design visions regarding the goals. The results reveal that in the case studied, the integration of the 8 SDGs moves beyond the current standards by mostly applying design approaches which are future-driven and focused on products and technologies. This research provides important practical tools that can inform building practices in the private and the public sector and contributes to the theory and practice of sustainable building design.It also supports the current effort towards the implementation and localization of the SDGs.

The Involvement of Real Estate Companies in Sustainable Development—An Analysis from the SDGs Reporting Perspective

“…In addition, there are multiple green building rating and certification systems that make the data incomparable between markets [64]. However, in over 50% of the analysed reports, the entities certify their buildings in each life-cycle phase according to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM), which is the prevailing assessment method in Europe [65]. Nevertheless, as the labelling tools of buildings include mostly environmental criteria, the economic, institutional and social features of buildings are rarely considered in these methods, which distorts the definition of sustainable development clearly reflected through the 17 SDGs [65].…”

Investigating Possibilities of Developing Self-Directed Learning in Architecture Students Using Design Thinking

“…It seems that the main source of learning sustainable design could be learning through observation, rapid prototyping, and problem definition and hypothesis formulation, as also argued by [7,22,66]. An ability for problem reframing can also be crucial for countering new problems towards achieving SDGs [4,23], and inventive thinking which also includes adaptability, managing complexity, and self-direction [10], while an ability for empathy could be useful at design of user experience, needed for sustainable architecture [21,24,56]. An ability for experimentation or learning from mistakes or from failure, transdisciplinary collaboration and desire to make a difference can be useful for evaluation of performance in response to social, economic, and natural environments, for assessment of users and viability of designs [15,87], enabling breakthrough insights and solutions from diversity [62], and for developing the skills, structures, and processes to generate value from valuable insights [86].…”

“…Architecture education nowadays is no exception, in that a need for change towards a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive future for all is felt. Sustainability can be seen as "the resultant of the balanced intersection between the social, economic, and environmental dimensions" [23] (p. 3). More than ever, a professional rethink is needed about how architects cope with the aforementioned changes and challenges in varied environments to increase design and building efficacy, improve interaction between different environments and act proactively in real-life present and future situations [24].…”

“…The architecture education for SDGs reflects the five characteristics of design projects: (1) sustainability could be perceived as an emergent property of design thinking through reflection-in-action (2), a global approach that is beyond the sum of its objectives, (3) a singular approach that seeks original responses to specific situations, (4) a tool for dealing with complexity and uncertainty, and (5) systems thinking in the context of an open system that allows for modifications [9,23].…”

Activating Data through Eco-Didactic Design in the Public Realm: Enabling Sustainable Development in Cities

“…Consequently, developing methodologies and frameworks for integrating the SDGs in the design and analysis processes of projects is key for meaningful integration. This was attempted in available publications such as [58][59][60][61].…”