Sustainable Architecture: principles and contemporary challenges

Sustainable architecture is increasingly positioned as a vital response to the global climate crisis. By integrating ecological considerations into the design of buildings and cities, this approach seeks to minimise environmental impacts throughout the entire building life cycle, from early design to use, maintenance, and eventual deconstruction.

While the term “sustainability” has gained prominence in recent decades, its integration into construction practices dates back to the 1970s, when several countries began to address the environmental consequences of uncontrolled urban expansion. Since the Industrial Revolution, the growth of cities has intensified the consumption of resources and deeply altered the balance between human activity and the natural environment. In response, construction methods have emerged that prioritise resource efficiency, emissions reduction, and the preservation of ecosystems for future generations.

The European Union, committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, acknowledges that the construction sector is responsible for approximately 40% of CO₂ emissions and more than one-third of global energy and resource consumption. As such, sustainability has evolved from a desirable goal into an essential technical and ethical standard in contemporary design practice.

Key principles of Sustainable Architecture

1. Passive and energy efficiency
   The integration of passive strategies such as optimal solar orientation, cross ventilation, thermal mass, and shading greatly reduces the need for heating and cooling. Active systems, like photovoltaic panels and heat pumps, further contribute to a building’s energy autonomy. 
2. Thoughtful material selection
   Locally sourced, low-carbon, and recyclable materials are preferred. Timber, for instance, stores around one tonne of CO₂ per cubic metre, only releasing it when incinerate, whereas the production of concrete or steel emits between 0.2 and 2 tonnes per cubic metre.
3. Water management and biodiversity as design elements
   Solutions such as rainwater harvesting, smart irrigation systems, low-flow fixtures, permeable surfaces, and green roofs contribute to balanced resource use and promote ecological integration within the built environment.
4. Life cycle and reversible design
   Viewing buildings as adaptable systems, designed for disassembly, reuse, or transformation, extends their service life and reduces long-term waste.
5. Rehabilitation and adaptive reuse
   Intervening in the existing built fabric reduces resource consumption, avoids unnecessary demolition, and fosters urban regeneration with lower environmental impact.
6. Health, comfort, and indoor environmental quality
   Sustainable buildings prioritise daylight access, acoustic comfort, natural ventilation, and the use of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials to ensure a healthy indoor environment.
7. Performance measurement and environmental certification
   Assessment systems such as LEED, BREEAM, or Portugal’s LiderA evaluating parameters like energy, water, waste, and wellbeing provide benchmarking tools to guide investments and support carbon neutrality targets.

Looking toward 2050 with rigor and sensitivity

A sustainable future cannot be built on vague promises. It requires rigorous planning, transparent assessment, and close multidisciplinary collaboration. Architecture plays a central role in this transition—not as a late-stage corrective, but as a proactive force for transformation.

To design and build with ecological awareness is also to build with cultural, social, and ethical ambition. That is the architecture that inspires and guides us forward.