In a sustainability cost-benefit analysis, which outcomes are considered intangible benefits?

• A. Higher maintenance cost
• B. Increased occupant satisfaction, improved resilience, and environmental benefits
• C. Lower upfront cost only
• D. Short project duration

Answer: (B)

In sustainability cost-benefit analysis, you separate outcomes that can be measured and priced (tangible) from those that are real but hard to monetize (intangible). The examples of intangible benefits are those that improve people’s experience and the system’s resilience and environmental quality, but aren’t easily assigned a precise dollar value. Increased occupant satisfaction reflects how people perceive and enjoy the space; improved resilience speaks to the building’s ability to endure and recover from disruptions; environmental benefits capture broader ecological improvements. These are inherently qualitative or require proxies, not straightforward cash amounts.

Higher maintenance cost is a financial drawback, not a benefit, so it isn’t intangible in the sense of positive, hard-to-m quantify outcomes. A lower upfront cost is a tangible financial metric tied to initial investment, not an intangible benefit. A short project duration is an efficiency or scheduling outcome; while it has value, it isn’t an intangible outcome about benefits to occupants, resilience, or the environment.