Technology advancements for the future of sustainable constructions

During last years the awareness of the essential contribution that constructions can give to sustainability has very much increased and many actors involved in the building process have understood how important the role of each actor towards a more sustainable global environment is. Since constructions largely contribute to environmental pollution, consumption of natural resources, particularly the non-renewable, and waste production, many efforts have been carried out to try to reduce this kind of impact on the environment. However, results of such efforts do not seem to have produced appreciable improvement either in terms of environment or community; it seems that sustainability has been seen as a need, which of course is undeniable, but not exploited as a challenge, which can more productively lead towards theoretical and practical advancement. This paper examines what sustainability has meant until now in the field of buildings and constructions, what results we have in terms of applications –sustainable buildings and constructions–, and what can help in the immediate future to make the contribution of the built environment towards sustainable development more significant. Based on dissatisfaction of the present situation, the paper tries to sketch out what the needs for the future of sustainable buildings and constructions are and which technology advancements are required to attain sustainability in this field, highlighting lines for research and application developments. Then reflection is made aiming at recognizing factors which go beyond technology and are indispensable for making the improvement of sustainable buildings and constructions effective both as processes and products