Sustainability Beyond Building(s): A Resource-Centric Reframing of the Built Environment

Contemporary sustainability practices in the built environment often focus narrowly on reducing short-term impacts within the boundaries of individual buildings. This Special Issue aims to challenge that paradigm by proposing a broader, resource-centric approach grounded in long-term system balance and post-fossil logic. It argues that sustainability should not merely mitigate harm but actively support resource regeneration. Key issues include the flawed concept of non-renewable resources, the obsolescence of primary energy metrics, insufficient system boundaries, and the undervaluation of residual material impact. Drawing on historical analogies and real-world observations, the paper outlines a framework for a regenerative built environment—where buildings take responsibility for their energy and material footprints and contribute positively over time. It concludes that truly sustainable design must be based on predictable, annual resource budgets and a holistic integration of material, ecological, and human systems. It requires re-inventing the way we evaluate and organize our built environment.