Factors involved in a Sustainable Design for Structural Engineers
Richard Botham
the globe. As such, early design decisions can result in a more
sustainable design and considerable reduction in energy usage. It is
obvious that the sustainable design practices are playing a major role
in the design and planning of modern construction industry than ever
before.
There are different ways in which a structural engineer can shape a
building’s sustainability such as exploring and using the most
efficient materials or designing buildings for scalability and reuse.
Let’s explore various factors involved for a sustainable design.
Material Selection
The structural engineers can adopt a design strategy of minimizing
embodied energy and maximizing design efficiency. Embodied energy is
the energy consumed in manufacturing, processing and constructing
building materials. Appropriate material selection can help a lot in
reducing waste both for construction as well as renovation. During the
design process, structural engineers can rightly influence the overall
energy use and carbon footprint of the building. As such they can
reduce the impact that the buildings may impose on the environment.
The design of any structure becomes a crucial phase to evaluate how to
maximize the use of sustainable materials. There are many factors
involved in choosing the most appropriate building material, but many
engineers do not consider sustainability when doing so. The prime
choices for most residential and commercial structures are steel and
reinforced concrete (RCC), chosen primarily for strength, availability
and design adaptability. Based on total energy involved, steel and
concrete are comparable and neither offers any considerable energy
advantages.
Structural engineers can also leverage important building materials
that reduce energy consumption and maximize the use of natural
daylight. For example, structural engineers may agree architects to
use structural concrete as finishes for walls and floors and
evaluating passive energy systems.
Designing for Longevity and Future Upgrades
Engineers have a distinctive opportunity to design new buildings for
future scalability. Engineers that explore structural needs for better
loading could keep in mind that less cost and material is required in
building original structure compared to support future load
requirements. The structural engineer may also take into consideration
longevity factor - helping the builder to avoid the need of future
upgrades and costly maintenance.
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