The construction industry uses certain performance indicators to monitor the impacts generated by their associated activities. However, the strict determination of these indicators cannot enhance the performance of a company, and certain benchmarks must be established to guide the goals and evaluate the performance of the companies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the scenario and evolution of the environmental performance of the construction phase of building projects by using the indicators recommended by the Brazilian Program for Quality and Productivity in Habitat (PBQP-H) and to establish benchmarks for these indicators. The research strategy adopted in this study corresponded to a survey with 186 building projects. The results involved environmental performance scenario of the building sector in different scopes. The main contribution of this study is the establishment of a set of parameters and benchmarks that can help enhance the performance of the building construction sector. As practical implication, the presented analysis and trends may provide guidance to governments and sectoral initiatives to formulate public policies to enhance the environmental performance of the sector.