Approved by the Infrastructure and Research Policy Committee on April 6, 2023
Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on June 15, 2023
Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 22, 2023
Policy
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports public and private efforts to promote and expand the development of technologies for high-performance buildings that provide environmental, economic, and societal well-being, and contribute to sustainability and resiliency.
Issue
High-performance buildings have been defined as those that integrate and optimize all major high-performance attributes on a life-cycle basis including energy conservation, safety, security, durability, accessibility, benefit-cost ratios, productivity, sustainability, resiliency, functionality, and operational considerations.
From the materials produced to construct and maintain buildings and the energy used to operate them, buildings consume vast amounts of resources over their lifetimes. High-performance buildings, which address human, environmental, economic, and total societal impact, are the result of the application of state-of-the-art planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and reuse/decommissioning principles - a paradigm change for the built environment.
Rationale
Civil engineers are the stewards of the natural and built environment. including infrastructure. Engineers are responsible for the planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining the natural and built environment and understand the significant benefits of high-performance buildings to society. In their role, ASCE members contribute to sustainable outcomes through the design of high-performance buildings and facilities; use of materials that contribute to sustainability; appropriate adaptive use and/or reuse of facilities. Engineers design for resilience to minimize life-cycle costs and premature obsolescence.
This policy has worldwide application
ASCE Policy Statement 528
First Approved in 2008