Etymologically, the term sustainability comes from a Latin root as sustinere, as in holding up; it also means maintain, support and uphold (Harper, 2001; Jeronen, 2013). In modern English, sustainability has two meanings; as “the quality of being able to continue over a period of time” and environmentally as “the quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time.” (Cambridge, 2021). In the German language (nachhaltigkeit, which means ‘lastingness’) sustainability use is traced to the 17th century as a forest management system (Caradonna, 2014, 2017); meanwhile, in English and French (durabilité), the use of sustainability term was not common until the early 20th century (Du Pisani, 2006) (Figure 1).

Between the 1960s and the 1970s, the term ‘sustainable’ was first introduced into the political language by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and then by the Club of Rome and had become at the centre of interest for many scholars (Grober, 2007; Kopnina & Shoreman-Ouimet, 2015a). Since then, the use of the term had increased rapidly, especially after 1987, when the Brundtland Commission’s Report was published, becoming the cornerstone of sustainability and sustainable development concepts (Kopnina & Shoreman-Ouimet, 2015a). Keeping in mind the nuances differences between both terms, as the first is an umbrella concept that describes managing resources without depleting them for future generations, meanwhile the second is an overarching paradigm to improve long-term economic well-being and quality of life without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs (Kopnina & Shoreman-Ouimet, 2015b; UNESCO, 2015). In 2016 the United Nations General Assembly published the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), developed from the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established in 2001. The 17 SDGs call for all countries to mobilise efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change (UN, 2020).

Defining sustainability is a wicked problem that requires us to ask, sustainability of what? (Murphy, 2012). Environmental sustainability is a dynamic, inclusive, and multidisciplinary concept that intersects with many other terms such as resilience, durability and renewability (Jabareen, 2006). It works at different scales—and it is composed of tangible (environment (planet)) and intangible (economic (profits), social (people)) aspects (Morelli, 2011). Sustainability aims to promote the responsible use of all-natural resources, support human well-being and encourage efficiency in industry, all without compromising the development capacity of our societies (Portney, 2015).

Sustainability in design seeks to reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of the built environment on nature. At the same time, it works to increase the health and comfort of inhabitants, thereby improving the performance of the built environment elements (McLennan, 2004). This requires effective theoretical and practical frameworks that address at least six areas, including site, water, energy, indoor and outdoor environment, economic and cultural preservation. It also necessitates comprehensive coordination between the buildings’ architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and environmental systems during the design, construction and operation phases (Yates & Castro-Lacouture, 2018).

The current approach of practising sustainability seeks to ‘reduce’ buildings consumption of resources (water, energy) and waste production while at the same ‘enhance’ the quality of the built environment; this goes beyond the boundaries of one building into the urban fabric of the city (Berardi, 2012). Measuring the level of sustainability is a complex process that deploys quantitative methods, including (1) indexes (e.g. energy efficiency rate), (2) indicators (e.g. carbon emission or carbon footprint), (3) benchmarks (e.g. water consumption per capita) and, (4) audits (e.g. building management system efficiency) (Arjen, 2015; Berardi, 2012; GORD, 2015; James, 2014; Kubba, 2012). Facilitating these purposes, the last few decades have witnessed the creation and development of several assessments or certificate systems and practice guidelines, most notably the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM, the UK) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED, the US). In addition, several intersecting methods have emerged, such as Green Buildings, Passivhaus and Net-zero buildings standards.