One definition of sustainability that I like is that it’s the ability to meet out own needs without compromising the needs of future generations. I think to be sustianable, we need to think about ecological (environmental), human and economic health in order to create and maintain resilient communities and spaces for generations to come.
To me,
A building can be considered environmentally sustainable when it is designed and built for longevity and adaptability, and makes use of materials that can be recovered and reused at end of life - materials that have low carbon impact and are not toxic.
A building is embodies social equity when it is designed and build to uplift the people that live in it, and gives these people access to resources that allow them to fully participate in the community that they are a part of.
A building is economically sustainable when it supports the long term economic growth of the community in which it is built by for example creating jobs, adding to the pool of resources that benefit these local communities, making use of locally available materials and incurring low and manageable maintenance costs that is not like a burden.
Most of Francis Kere’s designs in the African continent embody all these three sustainability pillars. Francis Kere designs energy efficient buildings and structures and he also focuses on community centric and community driven designs. In addition, he incorporates local labor and materials to allow for ease of maintenance.
Some examples of this are as show below:
