Quality certification system „building for life.” Example of application for rehabilitation of Angel Town Neighborhood, London

Building for Life is a system of criteria, norms and values that wants to establish a British National Standard for housing and residencial neighborhoods, new and rehabilitated. The system promotes and implements ecology-environmentally concept and all what it involves: design, construction, materials, impact on the community, but also on environment. It starts on the premise that good quality housing design could improve social welfare and quality of life, through reducing crime, improving public health, transport facilitation issues and increase property values. Imposed quality is certified with the four field criteria: Environment and Community, Site Capitalization, Infrastructure, Design and Execution. 20 criteria are implemented to illustrate the vision of functional, attractive and sustainable living, based on Vitruvius clasic principles: firmitas, utilitas, venustas. There is a question if projects create sustainability in general, if propose functional housing, if offer a pleasant appearance, but mostly in harmony with the site. Each of these chapters have several aspects, for example sustainable concept will integrate automatically the ecological one, considering that the harmonization of architecture as „artificial body inserted into a cluster of natural bodies”2 will lead to sustainability.