Introduction. When implementing investment and construction projects in the field of civil engineering, most of the design decisions affecting the environmental and economic efficiency are taken at the initial stages of the project implementation. Existing methods of environmental audit in construction, legislatively and methodologically substantial at the analysis of environmental impact of construction site at the stages of operation and recycling, do not standardize and do not regulate ecological damage, earlier accumulated during production of building materials and products, and also caused during construction and assembly works. The offered principle of environmental and economic efficiency consists of the analysis and quantity and price accounting of environmental factors during the selection of building materials, and also building machines and mechanisms already at a stage of site design. Materials and Methods. The information base of the research is analytical and statistical information of the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (Rosstat), Federal State Information System of Pricing (FSI SP). Results and methods of theoretical and scientific and practical researches of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of state regulation and stimulation of resource saving, sustainable development and green building; environmental and economic analysis of construction products cost are used. Results. The proposed principle makes it possible to make changes in the design of buildings from the point of view of environmental friendliness and energy consumption, taking into account the impact on the environment at the stage of construction. The result of the research is the analysis of natural resource intensity of construction products in the standard housing construction, applied methodology for evaluation of the eco-cost of construction resources used in civil engineering. Conclusions. The considered principle will enable to implement a sustainable approach in planning and implementation of investment and construction projects, which will significantly reduce environmental pollution from the point of view of minimizing the carbon impact from the construction industry and will contribute to improving the environmental and economic situation in Russia.