Sustainability Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainability Assessment - Assignment Example Sustainable building methods are building methods that do not deplete the resources of the environment, but rather can be supported by them. The concept of sustainable development and sustainable building methods are no longer new. In Our Common Future (1987) the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) states that, "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The document, popularly known as the Brundtland Report goes on to state that the term needs gives priority to "the essential needs of the worlds poor" and that, inevitably, limitations are placed on sustainable development by "the state of technology and social organisation," the environments capacity, and consideration of future needs and circumstances. Sustainability, be it in project design or international development, must not deplete the asset stock of the natural environment. Therefore, sustainable development can be defined as development that the environment can support without depletion or degradation both in the present and in the future. Beyond this, sustainability means more than environmentally friendly development. Sustainability consists of a triple bottom line. The environment is one of three considerations that include also the economy and society at large. The concept of sustainability is no longer new. The concept of sustainable building methods is newer but also no longer new. However, the theoretical development of a concept and its application do not occur coincidentally. Beyond the concept of sustainability, sustainable building methods need to be developed and implemented to realize the concept of sustainable building in practice. Finally, metrics have to be developed to determine the relative sustainability of comparative methods and the overall sustainability of a given technique or structure. According to Integral Sustainability, the concept