Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

Structural Engineers' Climate Action

2020-03-25T16:04:07Z

Dr Mike Cook:

Climate Emergency Action for Structural Engineers

Six most important things all professional structural engineers should do now

Suggestions from Dr Mike Cook March 2020

SUMMARY:

# Get informed – as a professional engineer you are obliged to develop your skills continuously
# Design low carbon - track and reduce embodied Carbon; rethink the materials you specify
# Design lean - reduce quantity of material; avoid over design
# Design recycled – specify recycled materials and design to allow future re-use
# Work with your client - Influence your brief, develop a sustainability plan, seek opportunities to reduce new-build and maximise retention, adaption, extension of existing buildings
# Get Active locally - work with other professionals to help each other, compare progress, learn.

1) Get Better Informed about Climate Emergency

* Understand the causes and consequences of carbon emissions for life on the planet
* Recognise how structural engineering decisions have a direct impact on emissions and the harm they do
* Understand how you, as a structural engineer, can reduce your professional carbon footprint TODAY.
* Look for information from IPCC, CCC, UKGBC, IStructE, LETI, UK FIRES.
* Re-read the Structural Engineering Climate Emergency Declaration ([http://www.structuralengineersdeclare.com/ www.structuralengineersdeclare.com]) and note the key commitments made
* Make sure your firm had declared and the everyone knows wha this means for them

2) Design low-carbon: Reduce Embodied Carbon through Low-Carbon Design

* Understand where construction activities create carbon emissions through material production, manufacturing and site activities.
* Understand how to measure carbon embodied in a structural design
* Understand how to reduce embodied carbon through material choices you make and the way you specify them
* Select structural materials in ways that you know will reduce embodied carbon
* Make controlling carbon in your design as important as controlling costs and ensuring safety
* Make low-carbon important to your clients, team and supply chain.
* Information Sources: LETI Embodied Carbon Primer; IStructE Principles for Assessing Embodied Carbon (being published soon)

3) Design Lean: Reduce material use specified in your design

* Design for least material use, whilst retaining safety and buildability
* Make sure all components are designed for least material use and are 100% utilised
* Make sure design loads are fully appraised for the particular building context and use – do not design for unnecessarily high loads “just in case”.
* Consider future strengthening processes as a viable way to future-proof instead of over-design
* Make sure the client understands that benefits of Lean Design in terms of cost and carbon

4) Design recycled - reduce material waste and increase the re-use of materials in your designs

* Apply cyclical practices for materials and design and build these into the project team way of working
* Seek to use recycled materials to their full in your material specifications and in choice of components
* Seek methods of fabrication and construction that allow easy deconstruction and re-use of materials at end of life

5) Help your client - question your brief and take you client with you

* Provide a Structural Sustainability report for your project that tracks sustainability targets agreed at the outset and targets achieved on the completion of the project
* Inform your client of the changes in market expectations that will raise the value of low-carbon ethical construction and reduce the longer-term value of high carbon construction
* Seek out opportunities to retain and restore buildings instead of demolish and replace
* Understand how a development project could become an asset to the planet and regenerative (see [http://www.livingbuildingchallenge.com/ www.livingbuildingchallenge.com])

6) Be an Active Professional Engineer

* Engage with the Institution
* Share your successes and failures
* Set up local professional groups to exchange information
* Lobby your local MP for changes in taxation, planning legislation
* If you haven’t yet done so, declare Climate Emergency ([https://burohappold-my.sharepoint.com/personal/mike_cook_burohappold_com/Documents/Desktop/Desktop%20all%20files/I%20Struct%20E/www.structuralengineersdeclare.com www.structuralengineersdeclare.com])

[[Category:Education]] [[Category:Research_/_Innovation]] [[Category:Sustainability]] [[Category:Design]]

Structural Engineers' Climate Action

2020-03-25T15:58:56Z

Dr Mike Cook:

Structural Engineers' Climate Action

2020-03-25T15:49:10Z

Dr Mike Cook: Created page with "Climate Emergency Action for Structural Engineers Six most important things all professional structural engineers should do now SUMMARY: # Get informed – as a professional e..."

Climate Emergency Action for Structural Engineers

Six most important things all professional structural engineers should do now

SUMMARY:

# Get informed – as a professional engineer you are obliged to develop your skills continuously
# Design low carbon - track and reduce embodied Carbon; rethink the materials you specify
# Design lean - reduce quantity of material; avoid over design
# Design recycled – specify recycled materials and design to allow future re-use
# Work with your client - Influence your brief, develop a sustainability plan, seek opportunities to reduce new-build and maximise retention, adaption, extension of existing buildings
# Get Active locally - work with other professionals to help each other, compare progress, learn.

# Get Better Informed about Climate Emergency

* Understand the causes and consequences of carbon emissions for life on the planet
* Recognise how structural engineering decisions have a direct impact on emissions and the harm they do
* Understand how you, as a structural engineer, can reduce your professional carbon footprint TODAY.
* Look for information from IPCC, CCC, UKGBC, IStructE, LETI, UK FIRES.
* Re-read the Structural Engineering Climate Emergency Declaration ([http://www.structuralengineersdeclare.com/ www.structuralengineersdeclare.com]) and note the key commitments made
* Make sure your firm had declared and the everyone knows wha this means for them

# Design low-carbon: Reduce Embodied Carbon through Low-Carbon Design

* Understand where construction activities create carbon emissions through material production, manufacturing and site activities.
* Understand how to measure carbon embodied in a structural design
* Understand how to reduce embodied carbon through material choices you make and the way you specify them
* Select structural materials in ways that you know will reduce embodied carbon
* Make controlling carbon in your design as important as controlling costs and ensuring safety
* Make low-carbon important to your clients, team and supply chain.
* Information Sources: LETI Embodied Carbon Primer; IStructE Principles for Assessing Embodied Carbon (being published soon)

# Design Lean: Reduce material use specified in your design

* Design for least material use, whilst retaining safety and buildability
* Make sure all components are designed for least material use and are 100% utilised
* Make sure design loads are fully appraised for the particular building context and use – do not design for unnecessarily high loads “just in case”.
* Consider future strengthening processes as a viable way to future-proof instead of over-design
* Make sure the client understands that benefits of Lean Design in terms of cost and carbon

# Design recycled - reduce material waste and increase the re-use of materials in your designs

* Apply cyclical practices for materials and design and build these into the project team way of working
* Seek to use recycled materials to their full in your material specifications and in choice of components
* Seek methods of fabrication and construction that allow easy deconstruction and re-use of materials at end of life

# Help your client - question your brief and take you client with you

* Provide a Structural Sustainability report for your project that tracks sustainability targets agreed at the outset and targets achieved on the completion of the project
* Inform your client of the changes in market expectations that will raise the value of low-carbon ethical construction and reduce the longer-term value of high carbon construction
* Seek out opportunities to retain and restore buildings instead of demolish and replace
* Understand how a development project could become an asset to the planet and regenerative (see [http://www.livingbuildingchallenge.com/ www.livingbuildingchallenge.com])

# Be an Active Professional Engineer

* Engage with the Institution
* Share your successes and failures
* Set up local professional groups to exchange information
* Lobby your local MP for changes in taxation, planning legislation
* If you haven’t yet done so, declare Climate Emergency ([https://burohappold-my.sharepoint.com/personal/mike_cook_burohappold_com/Documents/Desktop/Desktop%20all%20files/I%20Struct%20E/www.structuralengineersdeclare.com www.structuralengineersdeclare.com])

[[Category:Education]] [[Category:Research_/_Innovation]] [[Category:Design]]