Environmentally-based structural design criteria for buildings

Activities related to buildings contribute to a large degree to environmental degradation. It is necessary to reduce the negative environmental impact and resource consumption throughout the life cycle of the building. The aim is to optimize building performances in accordance with the integrated design objectives. The building structure, along with other elements of architectural space, deter-mines the performances of the building. The building structure should be designed and evaluated as a sub-system of the building, whose behaviour is directed towards the aim of system-building – ecological quality. This paper deals with the analysis of structural design in accordance with integrated design objectives, which are derived from quantitative and qualitative indicators of ecological quality of building, within the criteria of environmental protection throughout the life cycle of the building. The overall objective is to reduce harmful emissions to the air, water and soil, as well as to increase the efficiency of resource use, that is, to reduce the intensity of their use. Based on subject analysis, the environmentally-based criteria for the design and evaluation of building structures are derived, in the function of creating the environmentally acceptable building solutions. The present analysis points to the necessity of applying a complex and systemic approach to structural design, in function of achieving the ecological quality of buildings