The ‘fit for purpose’ of the built environment has been a focus of attention since classical times, both in the West and in the East. However, an explicit focus on ‘sustainable buildings’ is relatively new. The last two decades in particular have seen an explosion of published material on the design, construction and assessment of buildings purported to be ‘sustainable.’ Many governments and owners of buildings now routinely require their buildings be ‘sustainable’ and are certified to be so. In the case of sustainability certification, the recent growth in tools, techniques and assessment systems is phenomenal: even as early as 2005 there were over 600 such tools in different parts of the world! New ones sprout all the time and design guides attempt a losing battle to keep pace.

This new title in Routledge’s Major Works series brings together authoritative canonical and cutting edge reference work to establish a framework for easy comprehension of the vast and continually expanding subject matter. It is a four-volume reference work and an indispensable research tool for all interested researchers, students, building owners and policy-makers to gain a thorough understanding of the field. It showcases a variety of approaches to sustainable buildings from around the world and links these to on-site construction practices and assessment. Comprehensive introductions to each volume place the collected material in its historical, intellectual, and global practice context.