Our commitment to sustainability
Just as it is our responsibility as structural engineers to guarantee structural safety, it is our duty to design as sustainable as possible, and to do so now. This commitment should not be reserved for an idealized future or limited to exemplary projects. It must be applied every day, one project at a time.
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In the face of the climate urgency, focusing on CO2 reductions, offers a practical and impactful way to address multiple environmental challenges at once. The real value of calculation of CO2 emissions standardizes impact assessment across projects, guiding us in reducing our footprint. We believe that minimizing material usage is our key entry point.
quote “As designers we make material choices every day.”
Why design matters
Reducing our CO2 impact doesn’t mean that engineers work will diminish. It requires more innovative design and thoughtful planning: challenge conventional practices and rethinking our design approach and construction. Only this can lead to a high-quality integrated and sustainable design.
EARLY INVOLVEMENT IN A PROJECT
Impact is maximized by early decisions in global design rather than optimizing individual elements later in the process.
Advocate for reuse of structures
Clever reuse of the structure, even parts of it, can breathe new life into buildings and bridges, minimizing impact by avoiding new material manufacturing.
Minimizing material use in new constructions
Tailored design for each material can push materials to their limits, minimizing usage.How
As designers we make material choices every day. Historically, our primary criteria have been mechanical properties and cost. Today we have to consider also their environmental impact of structural materials.
Integrating sustainability in our design is achieved by pursuing a twofold road: minimizing material use while maximizing life cycle performance. Emphasizing the critical role of early decisions for achieving meaningful results we have the following adagio: build nothing, build less, build clever, build efficient…
Flexibility, resilience, robustness, ease of maintenance, and potential for disassembly are crucial to ensuring the high quality of our structures. These factors directly extends their lifespan and reduce the overall impact.
Ultimately, reducing our impact doesn’t mean that our work will diminish. Instead, it requires more innovative design and thoughtful planning. This shift not only sustains our profession but also elevates the importance of creative and strategic design in building a sustainable future.
Outcome vs output: client’s desired outcome should be respected while proposing
- innovative sustainable outputs that transcend conventional briefs.
- new construction vs renovation: renovation and reuse are our top priorities
- low-carbon materials: our primary focus should be on optimizing material use and design efficiency within the construction sector, prioritizing high-engineering solution over high-tech alternatives.
- Hierarchy of impact: as structural engineers it is our responsibility to test various options and quantify the impact of each factor to raise awareness in the team. Collaborating with client to establish realistic usage scenario’s is crucial to avoid overdesign (loads). Longer spans should be reserved for key areas where they are essential.
Prioritize material minimization, even though this potentially demands more engineering, coordination, and site-on work.
And last but not least we should demand eco-friendly materials, although a limited GWP, it signals to the industry that improvement is necessary.
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