The article outlines the creation of a method for the development of tools to incorporate sustainability criteria in the field of architectural design. The aim of the research is to provide society with scientific knowledge related to sustainability, evaluating the environmental impact of their actions within the building sector, in a simple and direct manner through specific and contextualised tools. A specific tool is experimentally developed for the context of Seville, called Guide for a more Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism (GAUS), in its first document, GAUS-D1. Based on national and international documentary references, the method principles are defined, and an approach is adopted that prioritises communicative actions with the aim of reaching citizens, professionals, and researchers in the building sector. The specific experiment is developed with GAUS-D1, and an initial evaluation is made of its suitability and the validity of the proposed method. The approach followed ensures that the experience of developing this type of tool is internationally transferable to any other place. Further statistical verification of the use of the tool (which implies a defined testing strategy) is necessary so that the method can be consolidated as a national and international reference.

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This article presents a methodological proposal to address the urban issue from the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Different tools have been developed for this purpose: the Aura Method and the Aura Matrix. The Aura Matrix of relationships built from the SDGs, along with the conceptual proposals to which the project must respond, allows for the definition of a methodological framework of action, defined as the Aura Method, applicable to any project that aims to respond to the urban scale from a more sustainable and healthy approach and within the framework of the above-mentioned goals. Two proposals for the Solar Decathlon Latin America of the Aura Team from the University of Seville (2015 and 2019) in Cali, Colombia, and their comparison, are presented as case studies. The scope of the 2019 proposal based on the use of these tools is more rigorous and bold with respect to the requirements defined by the SDGs than the 2015 proposal, based on the millennium goals. This reinforces to a great extent the resilience of the urban scope under study and its capacity to face serious situations in terms of citizens’ health, such as the pandemic we are currently suffering, and improves life quality. The main findings lay on the defined Aura Matrix and Aura Method tools as pragmatic opportunities to translate conceptual approaches such as G3: ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’ into practical decisions and urban design proposals to improve the quality of life and health of citizens.

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