Rationalisation versus optimisation – getting the balance right in changing tim
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Ben Gholam [1]
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[1] CEng
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- Localización: The Structural Engineer: journal of the Institution of Structural Engineer, ISSN 1466-5123, Vol. 98, Nº. 10, 2020, págs. 18-21
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
UK structural engineers declared a climate emergency in 2019, with over 170 signatories committing to radical changes to tackle the climate crisis (www.structuralengineersdeclare.
com). This article focuses on one of the key commitments that the signatories agreed to address:
Ò| Minimise wasteful use of resources in our structural engineering designs, both in quantum and in detail.
This commitment infers that we are currently producing wasteful designs. Indeed, most practising structural engineers come to realise that wastefulness is inherent in how we design, and that it is mostly intentional.
Wastefulness is a by-product of ingrained behaviours in the industry involving designers, clients and contractors, whereby using additional material has allowed us to improve quality, save time, and reduce overall cost – the three key requirements from any client. However, there is now a fourth variable, carbon, which designers must consider
