Sustainable design

How it is used

A core subject in schools, competitions and client briefs. Architects talk about sustainable design strategies, principles and goals, and measure them with rating systems such as LEED or BREEAM. Related words: green building, low-carbon, energy-efficient.

Example sentences

1. Sustainable design was a key criterion in the competition brief.

2. Explain your sustainable design strategies on one board: daylight, ventilation and materials.

Common collocations

• sustainable design strategies
• principles of sustainable design
• green building
• low-carbon design

Related terms

• passive designDesign that keeps a building comfortable using the sun, wind, shade and the building's own form and materials, so it needs little mechanical heating, cooling or lighting.
• LEEDShort for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design: a green building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council that awards points for sustainable features.
• embodied carbonThe carbon emissions from producing, transporting and installing a building's materials, and later from maintaining and demolishing it, as opposed to emissions from its energy use.
• adaptive reuseGiving an old building a new use, such as turning a factory into a museum or offices, while keeping much of its original structure and character.
• daylightNatural light from the sky and sun that enters a building; architects shape windows, rooflights and room depths to bring in enough of it without glare or overheating.

More terms: Sustainability and Environment

• thermal insulation
• orientation
• cross ventilation
• green roof