Sustainable Architecture – Between Measurement and Meaning

In the current scientific context of the Anthropocene, sustainability is a crucially important topic not merely as concerns the environmental field. As the authors suggest, sustainability refers to the social, political, economic and of course, human areas in general. The book edited by Cucuzzella and Goubran proposes a reconsideration of the concept of sustainability in the architectural field from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. The authors state that the current architectural practices contemplate sustainability only from a quantitative viewpoint through measurable parameters which solely consider the energetic and economic efficiency. The result is a sustainability of measurement that too often disregards social, human and cultural factors. “As we move towards a technocratic sustainable future, we lost the humanity of architecture”, the authors say thus also denouncing that the current vision of sustainability has not allowed facing the social and environmental deterioration effectively. The six chapters of the book provide a theoretical and practical instrument to renegotiate the relationship between the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of architectural work. The relation between measurement and meaning is therefore not elaborated as an opposition but as a dialectical process whose aim is to restore the human dimension of the architectural sustainability. From this point of view, the book edited by Cuccuzzella and Goubran is food for thought not only for design and architecture studies but for anybody interested in the consequences of the current environmental and social critical situation.

Alfonso Pinto

Ecole Urbaine de Lyon, University of Lyon, France

This book adds to existing scholarship in architecture by offering a series of perspectives on the question of sustainable architecture and design. The book’s evocative title ‘Sustainable Architecture - Between Measurement and Meaning’ situates sustainability within a fresh spectrum of meaning that includes both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

[...] A significant attribute of this book is its inclusion of a diverse range of positions and methods regarding the question of sustainability in architecture. The proposed collection of essays is a timely contribution to the subject and is easy to read and follow. The references in the bibliographies of each chapter are also excellent, allowing the reader to use this book as a gateway to other primary sources.

Dr. Terrance Galvin

Laurentian University