Multi-dimensional Analysis of Building Sustainability: Comparison of Reconstruction Scenarios in Singapore

Abstract

Building sustainability is associated with multiple global development and climate change goals defined by the United Nations. Sustainability goals have different interpretations across different domains; the construction industry alone incorporates multiple professional domains involved in building projects. However, assessment of sustainability without alignment of interests, regional context and a unique strategy may lead to conflicting and suboptimal building design solutions.

In this paper, multiple dimensions of sustainability assessment that affect building design and construction are investigated; first, terminology and concepts are critically analysed through wider research of scientific and grey literature defining the sustainability of buildings; second, a literature review methodology is used to identify and compare multi-dimensional analyses and existing frameworks; and finally, a multi-dimensional analysis of a building reconstruction in the context of Singapore is performed.

The results show that sustainability of buildings is not a one-way street and that a sustainability strategy must prioritise not just dimensions but also categories, criteria and indicators for each dimension, and adapt the analysis to the context. While sustainability indicators are comparable, overall sustainability performance is not and requires a case-by-case approach.

The case study on reconstruction scenarios in Singapore demonstrates four scenarios incorporating ten indicators of the three most investigated sustainability dimensions: social, economic, and environmental, measuring indicators that allow for comparison and decision-making. This research tackles the complexity of multi-dimensional sustainability with an example, informing and discussing current approaches for future analyses.