Injecting Sustainability in Software Architecture: A Rapid Review

Sustainability has evolved from an emerging concern into a fundamental responsibility in software design, development, and operation. Research increasingly explores how sustainability can be systematically integrated into existing software engineering practices. Building on an industry–academia collaboration, we contribute to this discourse by conducting a mixed-method empirical study. We combine a rapid review of 16 secondary studies with a focus group of practitioners. The review identifies challenges and opportunities in embedding sustainability into software architecture, while the focus group enriches and compares these findings. Based on the literature and industry synthesis, we derive five tangible takeaways to inform architects working in the field, and to guide our industry partners in the integration of sustainability concerns into architecture practices.