Emerging trends in building environmental assessment methods: Fid-Bau Portal

Emerging trends in building environmental assessment methods

Cole, Raymond J.

The building environmental assessment field is reviewed since it first came into prominence in the early 1990s. Key limitations of existing building environmental assessment methods are identified and the emerging importance of issues such as sustainability, life-cycle assessment, globalization and standardization are discussed. The author provides a constructive direction for emerging 'second generation' building environmental assessment methods and protocols. This includes a standardization of environmental assessment methodologies; a common, generalized framework which allows for adaptation of specific and changing explicit criteria and an increased emphasis on building performance over time. Le champ d'estimation ecologique du batiment est passe en revue depuis le debut des annees 1990, epoque de sa premiere apparition remarquee. Les limitations-cles des methodes d'estimation ecologique des batiments existants sont identifiees, et l'importance manifeste de questions telles que viabilite, estimation de cycle de vie, mondialisation et standardisation est examinee. L'auteur offre une direction constructive de mise au point de methodes et comptes-rendus d'estimation ecologique de “seconde generation” naissante. Celle-ci comprend une standardisation des methodologies d'estimation ecologique, un cadre generalise commun qui tient compte de l'adaptation de criteres specifiques variables explicites, ainsi qu'une importance accrue conferee aux performances des batiments dans le temps.