New trends in sustainability assessment systems: Based on top-down approach and stakeholders needs

Worldwide interest in future-proof buildings is growing, leading to increased demand for suitable methods and systems for assessing and communicating the sustainability of buildings. The number of stakeholders interested in sustainability assessment results as a basis for decision-making is growing. Ultimately, in order to bring about greater sustainability, stakeholders need to understand their potential impacts, but can only do so if this potential is clearly communicated to them through the system structure and through a language and in a format that suits their needs. Numerous systems exist, though these do not always meet the above requirements, do not always address all aspects of sustainability, may have certain methodological issues and may cause confusion through their sheer number. Therefore, there is a clear need for assessment systems to be developed further. This paper proposes that the issues raised can be tackled by a two-pronged approach: Firstly, by adhering to a top-down approach the structure of assessment systems is improved. Secondly, greater attention to stakeholder requirements is to be given. This paper is based on findings from survey results and on work in progress on the current EU-funded research project SuPerBuildings. It aims to stimulate further development of existing assessment systems in a way that maintains the autonomy of such systems, while bringing them closer together in terms of their content.