Making the assessment right, or making the right assessment?

While its design has significant impact on the sustainability of a building, assessment methods to measure sustainability in design phases are not widely used. If assessment methods are applied, it is debateable whether they can generate the insight that is needed to realize a truly sustainable built environment. In this paper the assessment of two important aspects in relation to building sustainability, energy and materials, is investigated. The paper consists of a comparison of these aspects with regard to different assessment strategies. Finally, an alternative indicator offering another perspective on assessing sustainability in relation to architecture is introduced.