Lu Aye; Mirza, MA; Robinson JRW 2008 'Social dimension of sustainable building', The World Sustainable Building Conference 2008 (SB08), 22 - 25 September 2008, Melbourne.

Abstract

A brief history on the development of the concept of the sustainable building is presented and the relevant social aspects are identified and discussed. Social interaction, cultural enrichment, health of users, facilities for the disabled, security, productivity, public participation in decision making for the buildings are the elements identified. Public participation encourages individuals to be a part of decision making for issues that concern them about building. It ensures that the development is acceptable to society and promotes equity. The inclusion of social aspects in building sustainability assessment brings up the issue of its quantification. The social aspect is an intangible feature which presents difficulties in its quantification. Full cost assessment (FCA) is a decision making tool and may be used to estimate the cost of social aspects. The main barrier in its adoption is insufficient and poor quality data.

Keywords: Sustainable buildings; social aspect;