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Flood risk management authorities rely on structural engineering measures centralised at the spatial and governance levels. These are mainly evaluated based on damage reduction without considering social, economic and environmental criteria. The research proposes an evaluative and procedural methodology to support the choice of spatially distributed measures. After illustrating the research project and the applied methodology, the paper focuses on the first methodological step, which involves identifying multi-scalar and multidisciplinary evaluative criteria through a systematic literature review and interviews. The paper concludes by presenting the criteria, reflecting on the topic and the subsequent developments of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of sustainability assessment in a decision context is associated with various challenges that explain why the transition to action-oriented knowledge still needs to be fulfilled. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the associated challenges in sustainability assessment in the decision context of the built environment. Several publications are reviewed to provide a systemic understanding of the associated complexities. The challenges in sustainability assessment in the built environment are categorized at different levels, from understanding to measurement and implementation. The challenges are further categorized into definition, context, interpretation, data, measurement methods, uncertainties, indicators and indices, results, coordination, conflicts, and action-oriented knowledge. Moreover, according to the nature of each challenge, they are classified into epistemological, methodological, and procedural challenges. The novelty of this review is that it reviews and reports almost all fragmentedly reported challenges in sustainability assessment of the built environment in the literature within a holistic framework that provides a clear understanding of the state of the art and second discusses them within an integrated framework (the Sustainability Assessment Network) including the position of active-role players to resolve them, including strategists, scientist, and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling Technologies have the potential to transform both the physical flow of materials and resources (production and construction methods), and the intangible organisational and managerial relationships (exchange and monitoring of data and relationships along the entire chain of value). They should, therefore, be considered important in supporting change processes aimed at the circular use of resources. This paper presents some research and experiments, at European and Italian level, aimed at developing and applying Enabling Technologies for circular economy, and at aligning them with the needs and challenges of society, by directly involving actors of the building sector ecosystem in moments of discussion and co-creation to define potential strategies and operational actions for innovation in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the issues of reuse and remanufacturing in the construction sector, considered to be key strategies for circularity and value conservation, based on the extension of product life through multiple use cycles. The main levers for boosting the logic of reuse and remanufacturing are investigated, as well as the major barriers that hinder their spread. In particular, the focus is on the components coming from the renovation of tertiary buildings (offices, accommodation, exhibitions, retail), characterised by short use cycles. These components are the most suitable for innovative remanufacturing experiments, since they are distinguished by high economic value and high residual performance after the replacement process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today architectural design is faced with the complex relationship between time and sustainability. In this perspective, the article reports the results of an articulated research activity, which highlights how the need for a temporary location or use of spaces can be achieved with an appropriate level of environmental sustainability, and only through long-term use of resources during the entire life cycle. The concept of "long-lasting temporariness" is outlined, based on the extension of the life of artefacts and on the reuse/recycling of resources at the end of their life, when the reversibility of construction systems, the circularity of materials, and the life cycle management of material and energy flows assume a paradigmatic role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides LCA reference benchmarks for residential buildings in Northern Italy and Denmark. Furthermore, the benchmark derivation process is analysed to highlight the trade-offs that relate to the methodological choices made by benchmark developers, considering the objectives of the stakeholders. Reference benchmarks for the two contexts are calculated based on national samples of residential buildings. A comparative analysis pinpoints the methodological factors regarding system boundaries, inventory requirements and databases that, from a calculation aspect, affect the benchmarks. Results thus highlight the uniqueness of each benchmarking system put into practice, and emphasize the need for clear calculation rules and transparency within each benchmark system. The identified trade-offs from the derivation process furthermore indicate the inherent need to balance the different interests relating to the stakeholders' roles when applying the benchmark. The mapping of different trade-offs presented in this study provides benchmark stakeholders with an overview that allows for open discussion about which priorities and choices will fit a specific context of benchmark application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay gives an overview about the way the environmental theme is declined in detailed design in the current Italian and international practice, with particular attention to the influence on the choice of constructive and material solutions, based on a literature review, as well as on the direct experience of some Italian design studios strongly oriented to the integration of environmental aspects into the project. It is also based on experiences gathered in working group composed by sector stakeholders. In particular, criticalities and obstacles, possibilities for improvement and advantages achieved by a detailed design capable of integrating environmental aspects are highlighted, outlining the current (and possible future) professional skills and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector is one of the largest consumers of natural resources and energy in the world. Design strategies to improve the energy efficiency can decrease the negative impacts of a building. In order to evaluate and select the most appropriate design strategies for buildings, they should be analysed through a multidisciplinary approach based on sustainable development. The objective of this study is to propose a method that combines adaptive thermal comfort, climate change, life cycle assessment, life cycle cost analysis and multi-criteria decision making to help selecting the best design strategies to improve the sustainability of buildings. The method presented herein is based on a system of indicators that allows a comprehensive evaluation of design strategies. A multi-family social building, located in Milan, northern Italy, was used as a case study considering a 100-year lifespan. Six design strategies were evaluated. The EnergyPlus computer programme was used to estimate the annual energy demand for air-conditioning alone, with and without the design strategies. Three different databases were used to perform the life cycle analysis. For the life cycle cost analysis, the cost of each strategy was estimated based on the pricelist of the Milan Chamber of Commerce ( Camera di Commercio di Milano ). The results show that there will be an average increase of 53% in the cooling energy demand and a decrease of 49% in the heating energy demand in 2080 compared to the consumption in 2017. The design strategy with the highest level of sustainability was a reinforced concrete frame with rectified bricks, followed by a reinforced concrete frame with cellular concrete blocks and by cross-laminated timber (X-Lam) and wood fibre. This research highlighted the need for the use of a multi-criteria method to ensure the right selection of design strategies to obtain more sustainable buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience is defined as the capacity of a system to cope with impacts by minimising their effects (through adaptation and mitigation). In practice, upstream measures on the causes, in terms of reducing the emissions or using resource more efficiently, should constitute the main action strategy for reducing the environmental impacts. The article describes the results of a research aiming at quantifing the average environmental impacts associated with the current housing stock in Europe through the construction of statistically-based representative models and the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. Knowledge of the characteristics and the environmental performances of the building stock - particularly the residential building stock - is of fundamental importance to establish effective policies and priority actions for the prevention of impacts and the strengthening of the resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission has introduced a whole range of policies and initiatives to promote the product eco-innovation and the environmental impacts reductions. One of the key topic for the reduction of the environmental impacts is the waste recycling and reuse (turning waste into useful resources). A teamwork of Politecnico di Milano has developed a research work, still ongoing and continuously updated, called "The usefulness of the useless. Cross-sectorial evaluation of waste in construction" which regards the possible reuse of pre-consumer scrapes/waste, deriving from various sectors, as secondary raw materials for the supply chains of the building sector. The goals of research work are the identification of the chains with high production of pre-consumer waste and scraps, the classification of these wastes by typology, the definition of scenarios for the reuse/valorization of the identified waste and the improvement of the environmental profile of products through an integration of recycled content. The research starts from the study of the most significant supply chains inside various sectors, analyzing the input/output and defining typologies and characteristics of waste/scrapes. To simplify the identification of recycling scenarios, the supply chains and related typologies of scraps have been classified according to a typical Italian filing system code. Then the data have been collected in a matrix used to identify feasible strategies and scenarios for the valorization of waste (this represent the first result of the work). The same matrix is also useful for public and private stakeholders for pursuing strategies aiming to the generation of positive externalities, at local and at global level. The next step is the proposal of new products deriving from the waste/scraps collected during the first phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politecnico di Milano University worked for the Italian Ministry of Environment, land and sea on the sustainability assessment of Expo Milan 2015 self-built temporary pavilions. The work has been focused on the improvement of the buildings environmental performances. Given the buildings short durability in place (Expo lasts for 6 months), the strategies for their end of life are of great importance for the carbon footprint reduction. Starting from the specific work on Expo Milan 2015, the Politecnico di Milano working group proceeded with the methodology research about this issue, applicable also to future events. This paper presents the different relevant aspects of mega events temporary buildings end of life management; dealing with methodological, technical and managerial aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation in the construction industry is often driven by the legislation and by the market mechanisms. After the lever of energy efficiency, new goals are looming on the horizon towards sustainability of interventions. The essay aims to build, with particular reference to the Italian context, a framework of policies, of regulatory pathways and of the initiatives geared towards sustainability, which are determining and will determine the routes of environmental innovation. Central to all these paths is the life-cycle approach and the environmental evaluation based on LCA. Remarkable is the effort that research is producing to refine the assessment tools and the decision support tools toward a systemic vision of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L'innovazione nel settore edilizio è spesso trainata dalla normativa e dai meccanismi di mercato. Superata la leva dell'efficienza energetica, all'orizzonte si profilano nuovi obiettivi orientati alla sostenibilità degli interventi. Il saggio mira a costruire, con particolare riferimento al contesto italiano, il quadro delle politiche, dei percorsi normativi e delle iniziative orientate alla sostenibilità, che stanno determinando e determineranno percorsi di innovazione ambientale. Centrale in tutti questi percorsi è l'approccio al ciclo di vita e la valutazione ambientale basata sul metodo LCA. Notevole è lo sforzo che la ricerca sta producendo per raffinare gli strumenti di valutazione e supporto alle decisioni, verso una visione sistemica della sostenibilità. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) in the built environment has increasingly drawn researchers' attention in the preceding years; however, the lack of an integrated LCSA based model is still a barrier for its effective implementation into the building design process. This paper proposes a new comprehensive LCSA model to be integrated into the design process of new buildings and energy refurbishment scenarios of existing ones. The proposed model consists of sets of mathematic equations to describe LCSA pillars of buildings, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) as the intermediate indices. A final LCSA index is then provided to describe a design scenario's performance from an LCSA perspective using the authors' new formulation and weighting method. The model is also integrated into the optimization process and enhanced with Machine Learning (ML) methods to accelerate the design-assessment process while preserving its accuracy. Finally, given the transition towards buildings' electrification by Renewable Energy Sources (RESs), as a supportive technology, the size-optimization of a residential building's short-term thermal and electrical Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) is chosen to demonstrate the model's capabilities. For this purpose, the building case study is parametrically modeled in Grasshopper, Energy plus, and Matlab for energy analysis, data processing, and machine learning. • The existing challenges and research gaps in LCSA integration into the building design process are discussed. • A novel LCSA-Machine learning-based model is developed to optimize the design of sustainable buildings. • The model is applied in designing energy storage systems of a residential building as the case study. • The results show that the proposed model is highly accurate and efficient as a decision support system in the design process. • The case study resulted in 24.27 % reduction in electricity consumption and 9.94 % improvement in LCSA performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]