The Ecological Footprint to Measure the Environmental Sustainability of Buildings: A Case Study

With the rising concerns of sustainable development in the worldwide economies, the construction sector gains importance to decrease the overall environmental impact. Indeed, the built environment is responsible for high environmental impact due to the demand of energy and materials, especially during Operation and Maintenance (O&M). In-use operations, users’ behaviours, and human occupation influence the way buildings impact the environment. Thus, the facility management field needs tools to measure and manage the in-use buildings’ environmental impact. In order to answer the need of the facility management field, the present research is interested in understanding which sustainability indicator can be applied to measure sustainability in O&M and to manage buildings’ performance by engaging the general public overtime. A first critical overview of the most common sustainability tools is provided. Defined the Ecological Footprint (EF) as the most suitable indicator to develop a calculation model for the facility management field, the paper review the indicator and its previous application in the building sector. The experimental translation of EF in the building-scale is explained and tasted on a case study building. Finally, the results of the test are commented on along with some discussion of potential future advancements.