The book is designed mainly for the students of the Master's Course in Architecture for Sustainable Design, but also addresses students attending postgraduate second level Masters and PhDs courses.
It can support real estate market operators in the evaluation of economic sustainability of projects, both in the case of new building and in retrofit/reuse interventions. A special attention is paid for planning /programming/analysis and control of the cost components.
It can be useful to practitioners for upgrading activities, with direct impact on professional admnistrative practices, or directly related to the world of business and industry.
The work represents the result of a research activity and the reading of international/national literature. It focuses particularly on Italian policies, theories and practices, with highlights on the international/European experiences through referral norms/standards.
The contents are addressed at the theoretical level, but they are constantly reported at the operational level through simple simulations. The specific topics are:
- cost concepts (Whole Life Cost, Global Cost, Cost Optimal) defined by international regulations for energy-environmental sustainability, in relation to the buildings' life cycle, referring to the Sustainable Design concept and implications on projects quality and on the real estate market;
- operative modalities for cost component calculation in projects economic-financial analysis according to the Anglo-Saxon approach (Discounted Cash Flow Analysis), extended to the risk/uncertainty analysis;
- cost analysis through the Life Cycle Costing approach, assuming the Life Cycle Thinking principles, also in conjunction with the Life Cycle Assessment approach;
- cost programming /control, through the Project (Construction) Management approach, with the support of specific tools (Cost Control, Earned Value Method);
- economic programming and cost monitoring/control, according to an advanced approach directed to associate Cost Control techniques, to the Discounted Cash Flow Analysis and to the Cost-risk Analysis.

Elena Fregonara, PhD, Associate Professor in Real Estate Appraisal and Economic Evaluation of Projects, Architecture and Design Department, Politecnico di Torino. She is scientific co-responsible of the Turin Real Estate Market Observatory. Her research topics are related to cadastral reform, real estate market analyses, economic evaluation of projects, Project Management, sustainability and energy policies. She is conducting teaching activities in the Master's Course of Architecture for sustainable design, Politecnico di Torino.