ASTM E2432-11
Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings

Standard No.

ASTM E2432-11

Release Date

2011

Published By

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Status

Be replaced

Replace By

ASTM E2432-17

Latest

ASTM E2432-23

Scope

Every building and building product has environmental, economic, and social impacts. These impacts occur at all life-cycle stages in multiple ways and on local, regional, and global scales. It is imperative to understand the nature of these impacts and their relationship to the general principles of sustainability in order to address the opportunities and challenges they present in buildings.

Buildings impact the environment. In order to advance sustainability, it is necessary to identify environmental impacts, mitigate negative environmental impacts, and promote positive environmental impacts.

Buildings have economic impacts. In order to advance sustainability, it is necessary to quantify and optimize life-cycle costs/benefits and external costs/benefits to the greatest extent possible.

Buildings impact society. In order to advance sustainability, it is necessary to identify the health, safety, and welfare impacts, and to contribute to a positive quality of life for current and future generations.

The general principles of sustainabilityenvironmental, economic, and socialare interrelated. Decisions founded on the opportunities and challenges of any of the principles will have impacts relative to all of the principles. However, to facilitate clarity in the presentation of the general principles of sustainability relative to buildings, they are discussed individually in Section 5.

Sustainability is an ideal. The practical application of the general principles of sustainability relies upon balancing environmental, economic, and social impacts and committing to continual improvement to approach this ideal. Section 6 discusses this balancing of environmental, economic, and social impacts in pursuit of sustainability.

The marketplace is evolving as technology, economics, and society become globalized. The range of topics and approaches to standards development has evolved in tandem with the changes in the marketplace. This guide addresses one of the primary issues of today’s global marketplacesustainability. It provides an overview of sustainability, as it is applicable to buildings. It provides general guidance but does not prescribe a specific course of action.

This guide is intended to inform professionals associated with the building industry, including specifiers, planners, developers, architects, landscapers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, owners, facility managers, financial organizations related to the building industry, product manufacturers, and government agencies including building officials, and other building professionals.

The general principles identified in this guide are intended to assist users in making decisions that advance sustainability.

The general principles identified in this guide are intended to inform the development and refinement of tools and standards to qualify and quantify impacts of buildings, building materials, and building methods.

1.1 Sustainabilty has three types of general principles: environmental, economic, and social. This guide covers the fundamental concepts and associated building characteristics for each of the general principles of sustainability.

1.2 This guide distinguishes between ideal sustainability and applied sustainability. Ideally, human activities would not require making trade-offs among environmental, economic, and social goals. However, this guide recognizes that, in applying sustainability principles to buildings, decision makers must often balance opportunities and challenges associated with each of the general principles.

1.3 This guide identifies general methodologies associated with the decision-making process used in pursuing sustainability.

1.4 This guide addresses b......

ASTM E2432-11 Referenced Document

• ASTM E2114 Standard Terminology for Sustainability
• ASTM E631 Standard Terminology of Building Constructions
• ASTM E917 Standard Practice for Measuring Life-Cycle Costs of Buildings and Building Systems
• ISO 14040 Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework — Amendment 1*， 2024-04-19 Update

ASTM E2432-11 history

• 2023 ASTM E2432-23 Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to the Built Environment
• 2019 ASTM E2432-19 Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings
• 2017 ASTM E2432-17 Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings
• 2011 ASTM E2432-11 Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings
• 2005 ASTM E2432-05 Standard Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings