Selos (in) sustentáveis para cidades: a certificação ambiental no contexto urbano

Abstract

Green building certification programs are strategies to distinguish buildings in comparison to conventional constructions. Nowadays, these rating systems are applied in a variety of building types, and comprehend some of the main current concerns about the environment. However, the very own definition of sustainability goes beyond the environment, consisting in something that also includes economic, social and cultural concerns, embracing a wider concept than it‟s usually taken for. This concept‟s complexity shows that defining something as sustainable – role played by the green building certification - goes beyond green washing. In this paper, it is a hypothesis that those programs don‟t fully consider the relation between the building and its surroundings, regarding the contribution this building can give to the street, the neighborhood, or the city in which it is inserted. Having as focus the residential buildings - more specifically in social interest housing – this hypothesis has proven itself partially correct. At the end of this paper, some suggestions for improvement are compiled.