Technology, Architecture and Sustainability

Sustainable development means responding to current needs without compromising needs of the future generations. Sustainable construction thus tries to minimize the building impact on energy resources, environment and ecology. Sustainable use of energy therefore, makes effective use of environmental resources, responds to social values and draws on creative solutions—in particular solutions adapted to local conditions. Technology includes three major components: hardware, i.e. materials and equipment; software or tools that affect decisions; and a knowledgebase. It is argued that the concept of sustainability should be applied to all three components.