University of Malta. Faculty for the Built Environment
Abstract
Construction affects all dimensions of sustainability (environment, society and
economy) and therefore a sustainable building design has to cope with tens of criteria, most of
them interrelated and partly contradictory. There are a great number of indicators and assessment
tools that have been developed recently in order to evaluate the sustainability of buildings
and urban settlements. Most of these tools are based on national standards, building codes and
local methods of construction. Sustainable design of construction is only possible through a real
methodological work. Sustainability assessment tools play an important role at this level, since
they convert the sustainability issues into tangible goals while are used to collect and communicate
the results of a sustainability assessment. This paper will present the role of the Portuguese
Sustainability Rating System SBToolPT in promoting the sustainability of residential buildings.European Science Foundation
