The Multi-Faceted Practice of Architectural Sustainability Found in the Regional Architecture of Vorarlberg, Austria

Abstract

The biggest and increasingly more urgent challenge of the twenty-first century has become how a more sustainable level of development can be achieved. In order to bring about a better sustainable approach to ‘development’ it is necessary to address various different challenges of economy and society simultaneously. By examining the various aspects of sustainability found in the contemporary regional architecture of Vorarlberg, Austria, this paper attempts to highlight a more holistic and multi-faceted practice of architectural sustainability. The literature review on the definition of sustainable architecture and the architectural culture of Vorarlberg will be followed by the characteristic examination of four case studies. The common characteristics found from the evaluation were matched with some of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Goals to illustrate the multi-layered and connected nature of the sustainability qualities. The results of the research is indicative of a more holistic notion of architectural sustainability that is beyond energy-oriented and the functional efficiency of a building. Rather, it would mean the sustainability of a region, as a whole, when it encompasses the continuation of heritage, the way of living as well as how a building should be responding to the environment throughout its life-cycle.