Criteria for the assessment of sustainability of public constructions

In a context in which public constructions represent a significant portion of many countries' construction activities, assessing these works' sustainability plays a fundamental role in reducing social, economic, and environmental impacts and encouraging the use of more sustainable construction practices. There are currently several assessment systems and methods with different scopes and approaches. However, few consider the specificities of public works. This article proposes a structured set of indicators for assessing public works' sustainability, based on the criteria proposed by the leading researchers working on the topic and those covered by the LEED, SBTool, BREEAM, and Green Star assessment tools. After extensive and detailed bibliographic research, the criteria were categorized, reordered, and unified, resulting in a structure composed of nine categories that add 214 criteria, which can be adapted to the particularities of different types of work, to any region, and at any stage of the cycle of life. The proposed structure, being more comprehensive and flexible than the most used tools, increases public managers' capacity to assess the real situation, understand the right needs, establish changes, and direct their efforts to make their works more sustainable.