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Whole-life thinking is an essential component of sustainable design. The idea is very simple: when comparing alternative designs for a construction project, don't just focus on minimizing the initial investment, but select the alternative that performs best over the building's life cycle. A durable and efficient design is often better value than lower specification alternatives, but not always – investing more doesn't necessarily give good value. 

This basic principle applies equally from a cost effectiveness or a carbon-saving perspective. This simple idea is not straightforward to apply in practice. It is important for architects to understand the method's assumptions and limitations. Architects should press for a whole-life perspective in all design development and decision making, using common sense, experience and whole-life assessment when appropriate.

Speaker: William Fawcett of Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd. Dr Fawcett is an architect involved in research, teaching and practice. He has co-authored the book "New Generation Whole-life Costing" (with Ian Ellingham, Taylor & Francis, 2006) and edited the recent RIBA Low Carbon Design Tool on whole-life assessment.