Role of Structural Engineer in achieving sustainability

in Civil-Infrastructure Projects
Assignment No. - 1
Abstract

Sustainability is a critically important term in today‟s progressive and dynamic

world. An integrated approach is needed to achieve sustainable development which
requires consideration of environment, economic and social sustainability.
Construction industry makes vast use of natural resources and release waste in the
form of emissions and demolition wastes. Thus, there is a need educate and
motivate civil engineers to design and implement projects taking into systems that
use sustainable resources and process, store, transport and utilize those resources
sustainably. This requires critical thinking for anticipation of future considering the
associated uncertainties, making informed decisions, development of alternatives
for non sustainable resources and systems. This paper aims to explore the role a
structural or environmental engineer should play in the current scenario to achieve
the goal of sustainable development.

Prepared by
SL ID Name
No.
1 2019PCS5563 VAIBHAV SHARMA
2 2019PCS5101 MOHAMMAD
HARAN
3 2019PCS5516 ANKIT SARRAF

Submitted To
Dr. Sandeep Shrivastava

Under partial fulfilment of course

CET706
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND
CONSTRUCTION

Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur

Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg, Jhalana Gram, Malviya
Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302017
 Title: Class Paper Assignment

Vaibhav Sharma1, Mohammad Haran2, Ankit Sarraf3

1
M. Tech. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, MNIT, Jaipur, India, e-mail:
2019pcs5563@mnit.ac.in
2
M. Tech. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, MNIT, Jaipur, India, e-mail:
2019pcs5101@mnit.ac.in
3
M. Tech. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, MNIT, Jaipur, India, e-mail:
2019pcs5516@mnit.ac.in

Abstract

Sustainability is a critically important term in today‟s progressive and dynamic

world. An integrated approach is needed to achieve sustainable development which
requires consideration of environment, economic and social sustainability.
Construction industry makes vast use of natural resources and release waste in the
form of emissions and demolition wastes. Thus, there is a need educate and
motivate civil engineers to design and implement projects taking into systems that
use sustainable resources and process, store, transport and utilize those resources
sustainably. This requires critical thinking for anticipation of future considering the
associated uncertainties, making informed decisions, development of alternatives
for non sustainable resources and systems. This paper aims to explore the role a
structural or environmental engineer should play in the current scenario to achieve
the goal of sustainable development.

Introduction

Sustainability is a critically important term in today‟s progressive and dynamic

world. It is associated with all fields of practical application, whether related to
engineering, medicine, industry or any other operation of products and services.
There has been an increased awareness and efforts by individual nations and world
as a whole to move towards sustainable development. As per the Brundtland
Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, “Sustainable
development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. United
Nations has also led much emphasis on the importance and need of sustainable
development by adopting The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known
as the Global Goals, in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the
planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

Since sustainability is an issue which cant not treated in isolation by a single field
of application and all activities are interdependent on each other, an integrated
approach is needed to develop in a sustainable manner. Overall sustainability can
have three distinct components: environmental sustainability, economic
sustainability and social sustainability (Rosen, 2012). Simultaneous achievement of
all three environmental, economic and social sustainability is the key requirement
for overall sustainability. Engineering is a field where concepts of science and
mathematics are applied for practical purposes and the resultant activities are major
economic and social contributors by influencing the life of masses as well as leave
an impact on the natural environment by making use of resources. Thus, there is a
need that the engineering design, operation and implementation shifts its perceived
bias on short term goals to long term goals to meet the sustainability criteria (Siller
T.J., 2001)

Social

Bearable Equitable
Sustainable

Environment Economic
Viable

Figure 1 The above diagram defines sustainability by relating all factors considered in sustainable analysis.
(Siller T.J., 2001)

Construction Industry is one of the practical fields where engineering finds it major
application. Since the construction industry, by its very nature makes vast
utilization of natural resources in terms of raw materials, energy and also resultant
wastes and emissions, a sustainable approach is needed to minimize the impact of
this industry on the environment. In a building project, resource utilization is not
only limited during building operation but also significant resources and wastages
are involved during construction and demolition phases. Thus, a civil engineer
should design and implement a building project taking into systems that use
sustainable resources and process, store, transport and utilize those resources
sustainably (Rosen, 2012). Considering the importance of sustainability in
engineering, several researchers have worked in this area. Johnson and Korol
(1995) described a set of principles for sustainable development:
 Anticipation and Prevention
 Full Cost Accounting
 Informed decision making
 Living off the interest
 Quality of development over quantity
 Respect for nature and the rights of future generations
In view of some of the above set of principles, the present paper aims to explore the
role a structural or environmental engineer should play in the current scenario to
achieve the goal of sustainable development.

Anticipation & Prevention

Sustainable development is a personal investment towards a level of performance

throughout an indefinite period of time. Proper and timely anticipation of current
environmental scenario and needs of masses along with future needs is required to
plan the projects in a sustainable manner. Though, a lot of work has been done on
engineering sustainability, but not much work addresses the issues of measurement
of sustainability and how future generations are taken into account (Boyle &
Coates,2005).The environment impact due a to building project – like
replenishment of resources, degradation of ecosystem, etc may last over thousand
years. Hence, the design should include all those factors as well. Thus, it is
suggested that in order to fully account for the environmental impacts, at the very
least, we should consider a period of 1000 years in urban and regional planning
(Boyle & Coates, 2005). Similarly, risks for future generations need to be identified
and solutions be sought for them through research and innovation. Land, soil,
water, air pollution are some of the areas where maximum risks resides, thus
planning should involve such factors and move to mitigate these risks. For
example, cement which is used for concrete production is one of the major source
of air pollution due to CO2 production. Since, concrete is one of the basic building
material, there is a need to search for alternatives to cement for concrete
production. It has been found that fly ash, a product of coal combustion can be used
a part replacement (15-25%) of cement in concrete. Also, an added advantage of
using fly ash includes reduced need for landfill space for the waste product (Lisa
Aukeman). Use of hazardous materials like lead and asbestos which may cause
health problems should also be prohibited.

Informed Decision Making

The need for informed decision making is one of the main principles in sustainable
development. Good informed decision making requires the collection of knowledge
from many sources and an evaluation of the validity of the knowledge before any
decision making can occur (Siller T.J., 2001). Thus, critical and reflective thinking
is a must for civil engineer to develop the projects in a sustainable manner.

During selection of raw materials, engineer must look for materials which are not
only environment friendly, but also consider factors such as ease of production,
availability, transportation, construction and lifespan of the material. Market cost of
material just reflects its production and transportation costs, however added
environmental cost should also be considered when deciding among alternatives.
Locally available materials may be preferred to save on transportations costs and
consequent affect on environment. A lot of material wastage and loss occurs due to
unplanned execution and delays. A site engineer should plan material procurement
and ensure adequate storage to minimize the damage and spoilage through use of
technology and available project and material management tools and software. In
case of excess material, material exchange programmes may help in reducing
wastage. Energy efficiency is also not only limited to minimizing the operating
costs during building operation, but also accounts major savings when applied right
from construction phase to demolition phase. It has been found that building
operation accounts for 40% of US energy use and this number increases to an
estimated 48% when the energy required making building materials and construct
buildings are included (Baum, 2006). An engineer has to make choices among
various available materials and has to design the structure accordingly. A
sustainable choice is one which takes into account material availability, its
environment impact, replenishment cycle, recycling and reuse along with economic
and social constraints. For example, concrete has excellent thermal properties and
can be recycled as aggregates. This thermal property can be utilized to minimize
energy costs pertaining to thermal comfort inside the building. In case of steel
structures, the designs and connections can be simplified based on mechanical
fastners over welding to encourage reuse in future. Timber, is an easily accessible
and environment friendly material. However, its usage should be limited and
wisely chosen as it may cause deforestation. Thus, in order to satisfy the
sustainability criteria, a comprehensive approach of decision making is required
which focuses on long term goals rather than the present attitude of achieving short
term goals.

Quality of development over quantity

Current approach of development has emphasized a lot on quantitative

development where the major focus has been to provide more accessibility to basic
services and improved conditions of living. Though the concept in this basic nature
is not flawed, but there are still persistent unmet needs, widening inequalities, and
new development challenges such as climate change, intensifying natural disaster
and resource depletion (UNESCAP 2013). Thus, there is need to shift towards a
balanced strategy where the „vicious cycle‟ of exploitation of resources to meet the
short term goals needs to be replaced by a „virtuous cycle‟ where investments in
planet and people are done for a sustainable and shared growth and prosperity.
Life cycle costing and whole life environmental assessment of structures are some
of the methodologies which may be adopted by civil engineers in a project. Life
cycle costing not only accounts for building and operations costs but also includes
cost of disposal at the end of life of structure and quantifies the associated
environmental effects in terms of cost. For example, while designing communities,
engineers may adopt a design approach that encourages and facilitates use of
bicycles/walking, thus saving on fuel consumption. Similarly, ensuring proper
ventilation arrangements and making maximum use of sunlight will help in
reducing the energy requirements. Certain certifications like Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) help designers learn how to achieve
sustainability in structures (Lisa Aukeman). Such rating systems evaluate a
structure on the basis of site selection, energy and water efficiency, materials used,
indoor environment and design criteria and categorize them on these points.
Respect for nature and the rights of future generations

A civil engineer should plan and implement the project keeping in mind its impact
on the environment during its entire lifetime. A project which makes use of
minimum non sustainable resources, makes use of recycled material, involves
material reuse, produces zero waste and emissions and is energy efficient can be
termed as environment friendly and sustainable. Such an approach will not only
satisfy the needs of present generation and also not compromise the rights of future
generations. For example, recently stubble burning by farmers of Punjab, Haryana
and NCR has been a major problem as it badly affected the air quality of nearby
areas causing severe health problems. In construction industry, the stubble can used
to densify the plastic roof sections and thus help in limiting deflection. It can also
be used a substitute of coal in brick manufacturing or any industry and the ash can
further be utilized in place of cement. Thus, there is a need of innovation and
research which can address such issues.

Conclusion

Sustainable development should be adopted as an integral part at all levels of

planning and implementation in building projects. Qualitative development that
preserves the environment for future generations should be encouraged over the
present approach of quantitative development. Minimum use of minimum non
sustainable resources, use of recycled material, material reuse, zero waste concept
during life cycle of a project are some of the factors which can help in reforming
the construction industry.

References

Aukeman L. “Sustainability and Structural Engineering”

Boyle C. and Coates G.T. “Sustainability Principles and Practice for Engineers”
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, Fall 2005
Rosen Marc A. “Engineering Sustainability: A technical Approach to
Sustainability”, Sustainability 2012,4,2270-2292
Shifting from quantity to quality: Growth with equality, efficiency, sustainability
and dynamism, UNESCAP 2013
Siller T.J. “ Sustainability and Critical Thinking in Civil Engineering Curriculum”,
Journal of Professional issues in Engineering Education and Practice, Vol. 127, No.
3, July 2001