Environmental assessment tools

© 2012 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Environmental assessment tools are important tools in achieving the goal of sustainable construction and have been used to determine sustainability of the design, construction, and operation of buildings around the world. Since the introduction of the BREEAM in 1990 as the first comprehensive building environmental assessment tool and similar types of environmental assessment tools have been developed in every country as an essential approach in the construction industry to achieve the goal of sustainable development. This chapter discusses the concept and role of sustainability in the construction industry. This chapter also presents an overview of environmental assessment tools, roles, and limitations of the tools in ascertaining building sustainability used in different countries. Finally, the chapter examines the development of the tools in the international context