manteneva

Manteneva is a design philosophy and set of practices in sustainable architecture and urban planning that prioritizes long-term maintainability, repairability, and resilience of built environments. Drawing on design for maintenance and design for disassembly, manteneva advocates modular construction, standardized interfaces for components, accessible service points, and materials with known durability and repair options. The goal is to reduce lifecycle costs, minimize environmental impact, and extend the useful life of buildings and infrastructure.

The approach emphasizes early planning for maintenance, including predictable inspection routines, replacement schedules, and data-enabled condition monitoring. Projects applying manteneva prioritize ease of component replacement rather than full remodels, and favor modular, prefabricated elements that can be swapped with minimal disruption. It also supports adaptive reuse of spaces and components as needs change, rather than demolition.

Manteneva emerged in architectural and engineering discourse in the early 2010s as part of broader movements toward circular economy and sustainable design. It has been discussed in professional journals, conferences, and pilot projects, with case studies across commercial, residential, and civic buildings. Benefits cited include reduced downtime, lower energy use, and greater asset value over time, though critics note potential higher upfront costs and the need for integrated project delivery and stakeholder alignment. Manteneva remains a developing framework, with evolving metrics and standards as practitioners refine measurement of maintainability outcomes.