Rethinking "Architecture for Sustainability"

Sustainability is a confusing term when it comes to architecture, however the built environment plays a crucial role in sustainable development. At present great effort is spent to achieve environmentally friendly building practices. On the other hand, "sustainable architecture" and "environmental architecture" are used to express the same building qualities, even though these buildings emphasize environmental sustainability while the other factors regarding sustainability are skipped most of the time. Nevertheless, social and economical responsibility in a building is as important as environmental responsibility of a building, in order to obtain qualities for sustainable livelihoods. The aim of this paper is to discuss the above-mentioned issue together with architectural examples.