Green Airport Design Evaluation. Method and Tools

The paper illustrates ongoing research focused on the process of evaluation of project compliance with green building requirements during preliminary stages of the design process. The primary aim of the research is to develop method and tools to check and evaluate the sustainability design performances during the whole project development. The application case study is airport infrastructure design. Airports can be constrained by environmental issues which restrict current operations and limit future potential growth. In order to maximize opportunities for growth, it is necessary to consider all the specific factors involved in airport design that can have an influence upon the environmental consequences of its subsequent operations and therefore impact upon integrated sustainability strategies. Life cycle and long-term planning of airport infrastructures also demand a systemic approach to meet the need for change through better definition of the design process and compliance with green building requirements. A number of tools using sustainability indicators have been developed in the last two decades. International Green Building rating systems such as LEED, BREEAM, and others have been used as an effective framework for assessing building environmental performance and integrating sustainable development into building and construction processes. But the individual buildings that comprise a major part of the airport infrastructure are often not, on their own, the critical elements that determine the longer term sustainability of the site. An in-depth study has been carried to define an airport-wide sustainability index. The study has been focused on the concept of airport environmental capacity1 and the good/best practices complying with sustainability indicators already adopted during the planning, construction, management, maintenance and decommission of European and international airports. The research will define specific method and tools enabling both design project control and sustainability appraisal. The method will be based on systematic process, linked to modeling studies and the development of sustainability indicators that would inform a site wide approach to the design of airport infrastructure. The proposed method and tools will also create new opportunities for aviation regulatory organizations and airport managers to define strategies and anticipate decisions to enhance sustainable airport infrastructure design.