Guido Sonnemann

Sustainability Assessment Within the Residential Building Sector:: a Practical Life Cycle Method Applied in a Developed and a Developing Country Guido Sonnemann

In order to overcome the increasing concern of today's resource depletion, environmental considerations and to address sustainability indicators, a practical life cycle method has been proposed. The findings of this book state that the appropriate combination of building materials, improvement in behaviours and patterns of cultural consumption, and the application of government codes would enhance decision-making in the residential building sector towards sustainability. The difference in consumption in Colombia and Spanish dwellings is not only due to the variation in results for bio- climatic differences but also because of the consumption habits in each country. The importance of consumption habits of citizens and the need to decouple socio-economic development from energy consumption are sought for achieving sustainability from a life cycle perspective. There is a crucial necessity to provide satisfaction to basic needs and comfort requirements of population with reasonable and sustainable energy consumption.