abstract: 'Sustainable building in Latin America extends beyond the use of

  renewable materials, energy efficiency and low impact construction.

  Additional components are fitness for use, durability and adaptability

  over time, quality of indoor and outdoor areas, use of local materials,

  and social and economic development including employment, poverty

  eradication, improvement of income distribution and promotion of

  regional production.

  This text discusses strategies and barriers for the implementation of

  sustainable building in the region based on four focal points:

  (1) long- and short-term balance between building quality expectations

  at low environmental impact and the need to satisfy basic needs for

  large proportions of the population

  (2) development of sustainable building regional parameters, which can

  be significantly different from those found in developed countries

  (3) difficulties posed by formal and informal construction to

  sustainable building implementation

  (4) introduction of sustainable building in professional education.

  The industrialized countries taking part in the first rounds of the

  Green Building Challenge process (GBC) have developed environmental

  policies and finalized construction-oriented research investment. This

  solid foundation facilitated and allowed for immediate work on

  environmental assessment of buildings. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and

  Mexico are now part of the GBC. Although it is clear that they cannot

  replicate methods based on the success they had in other regions, GBC

  can be a valuable means of introducing concepts and raising awareness.'
affiliation: 'Silva, VG (Corresponding Author), Univ Estadual Campinas, Board Directors,
  Fac Civil Engn, Brazilian Green Bldg Challenge GBC, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

  Silva, V. G., Univ Estadual Campinas, Board Directors, Fac Civil Engn, Brazilian
  Green Bldg Challenge GBC, Campinas, SP, Brazil.'
author: Silva, V. G. and Silva, M. G.
author_list:
- family: Silva
  given: V. G.
- family: Silva
  given: M. G.
booktitle: SMART AND SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
da: '2023-09-28'
editor: Yang, J and Brandon, PS and Sidwell, AC
files: []
isbn: 978-0-470-75949-3
language: English
number-of-cited-references: '10'
orcid-numbers: Silva, Márcia G/0000-0002-4663-7926
pages: 14-22
papis_id: 5e92d731e9aa8070d5da722ce2ac8cc9
ref: Silva2005sustainablebuilding
researcherid-numbers: Silva, Márcia G/C-2050-2012
times-cited: '0'
title: 'Sustainable building: perspectives for implementation in Latin America'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000301243900004
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '4'
web-of-science-categories: Architecture; Construction \& Building Technology
year: '2005'