This study established the life-cycle eco-footprint calculating model of building projects, which contained the eco-footprint in 4 aspects of life-cycle energy consumed, resource consumed, carbon emitted and solid waste produced. Space efficiency of life-cycle eco-footprint index was proposed, and used to assess the ecological sustainability of building projects. Then we investigated the eco-footprint and eco-sustainability of four different structure types (brick-concrete bungalow, multi-story brick-concrete, multi-story steel-concrete, high-rise steel-concrete) for residential building in severely cold areas. Results indicated that, compared with bungalow, high-rise building with relatively small shape coefficient and window-wall ratio had higher eco-sustainability; when the buildings had the same story, shape coefficient and window-wall ratio, steel-concrete building had higher eco-sustainability than brick-concrete building; high-rise steel-concrete structure had the greatest eco-sustainability during the 4 different structure type buildings, which was more suitable to promote.