It is time to extend the useful life of the things we make, manufacture and use, and civil engineers play a vital role in this task.
It is time to extend the useful life of the things we make, manufacture and use, and civil engineers play a vital role in this task.
REDECON – or Recent Developments in Design and Construction Technologies – is a national seminar and exhibition brought to you by the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India) Bangalore Centre. The event seeks to address various current challenges of serious concern to the society with respect to the legal requirements to be followed in the construction of meaningful places, including appropriate housing and related industries, construction technology development, water, solid waste management, climate change and Is. The pool of ideas shared by industry experts from across India in the symposium can make it a defining tool for overcoming obstacles and providing effective solutions to urban and civil engineering challenges. The theme of Radicon, to be held soon this year, will cover many aspects related to sustainable development.
The form of the structure inspires both architects and engineers, but their educational backgrounds have differing focus regarding form and functionality. Architects usually focus on the form of the structure, with certain exceptions, of course, on asymmetrical geometry and organic shapes. The approach as well as the goal for most architects is expression in the entirety of the building. Load-bearing elements are then only one aspect of many. These must be handled with care to obtain beautiful and meaningful buildings. On the other hand, the focus of the civil engineer is on the structural safety, stability and flexibility of the end user and the functionality of the structure in general with few exceptions. Not surprisingly, the general approach of a civil engineer is to harmonize modern technology and engineering practices with a tendency more towards adaptation. The time has come to integrate sustainability principles into the design and other life cycle phases of a building and this is imperative as we move forward with the Global Agenda 2030.
Growing circular economies through sustainable infrastructure
Traditionally, industrial economies relied on a single model of resource consumption: a linear economic model that follows a “take-make-dispose” pattern. This has led to excessive and uncontrolled resource extraction and waste generation, which has put significant pressure on the environment.
Resource extraction and GHG emissions will continue to increase in the future as more infrastructure is built to meet the needs of a growing and growing urban population. , photo credit: AP
Construction is one of the most resource-intensive and high-carbon sectors. The amount of natural resources used in buildings and transportation infrastructure increased manifold in 1900 and 2010, and the construction sector accounts for about 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Following the linear growth model, both resource extraction and GHG emissions will continue to increase in the future as more infrastructure is built to meet the needs of a growing and growing urban population. An estimated 75% of the infrastructure that will exist in 2050 is yet to be built. Excessive global resource extraction leads to ecosystem degradation, sediment erosion and loss of biodiversity. It is estimated that resource extraction and processing are correlated with over 90% of biodiversity loss and make up about half of global GHG emissions. These impacts have serious consequences on water and food security, and therefore on human well-being.
In addition to damage caused by extraction processes and GHG emissions, infrastructure is also a major source of solid waste and other forms of pollution. In developed countries, for example, 40% of solid waste comes from the construction, maintenance and demolition of buildings. ,
Linear economic models have clear human health and ecological limitations, and systemic changes are urgently needed. Reaching the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement and reducing stress on the environment can only be achieved by combining massive efforts on renewable energy and energy efficiency with a fundamental shift to a circular economy.
A circular economy is one in which “the value of products, materials and resources is retained in the economy for as long as possible”, and resource extraction and waste generation are minimized. Circular economic models help to separate economic growth from resource consumption by extending the useful lives of the things we create, manufacture and use, and by closing the material loop so that “waste” from some products and processes is released into others. can be used as an input (also called industrial symbiosis).
Transitioning to the circular economic model will require infrastructure that is fit for purpose. The planning, construction and operation of infrastructure should be done in such a way that synergy between infrastructure systems is maximized to enable industrial symbiosis and closed loop. Moving to a more shared ownership model can also help reduce the resource intensity of infrastructure systems. Successful implementation of these concepts requires strategic planning during the early stages of the “upstream” infrastructure lifecycle of the projects. In the end, decarbonization is the only way forward.