Sustainable Construction A Life Cycle Approach in Engineering
Sustainable Construction A Life Cycle Approach in Engineering
Sustainable Construction A Life Cycle Approach in Engineering
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Susta<strong>in</strong>ability of <strong>Construction</strong>s<br />
Integrated <strong>Approach</strong> to <strong>Life</strong>-time Structural Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Luís Bragança 1 & Heli Koukkari 2 (COST Action C25 Chair & Vice-chair)<br />
1 University of M<strong>in</strong>ho, Guimarães, Portugal. braganca@civil.um<strong>in</strong>ho.pt<br />
2 VTT Technical Research Centre of F<strong>in</strong>land, Espoo, F<strong>in</strong>land. heli.koukkari@vtt.fi<br />
Rijk Blok 3 & Helena Gervásio 4 (WG1 Chair & Vice-chair)<br />
3 University of Technology E<strong>in</strong>dhoven, Netherlands r.blok@bwk.tue.nl<br />
4 GIPAC, Lda., Portugal. hger@dec.uc.pt<br />
Milan Veljkovic 5 & Zbigniew Plewako 6 (WG2 Chair & Vice-chair)<br />
5 Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. milan.veljkovic@ltu.se<br />
6 Rzeszów University of Technology, Poland. plewakoz@prz.rzeszow.pl<br />
Raffaele Landolfo 7 & Viorel Ungureanu 8 (WG3 Chair & Vice-chair)<br />
7 University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy. landolfo@un<strong>in</strong>a.it<br />
8 “Politehnica” University of Timisoara, Romania. viorel.ungureanu@ct.upt.ro<br />
ABSTRACT: The ma<strong>in</strong> objective of the COST Action C25 “Susta<strong>in</strong>ability of <strong>Construction</strong>s:<br />
Integrated <strong>Approach</strong> to <strong>Life</strong>-time Structural Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g” is to promote science-based developments<br />
<strong>in</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>able construction <strong>in</strong> Europe through the collection and collaborative analysis<br />
of scientific results concern<strong>in</strong>g life-time structural eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g and especially <strong>in</strong>tegration of environmental<br />
assessment methods and tools of structural eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
1 INTRODUCTION TO COST ACTION C25 – SUSTAINABILITY OF CONSTRUCTIONS<br />
1.1 Aims and objectives<br />
The Action C25 aims to promote a scientific understand<strong>in</strong>g of life-time eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g and to<br />
boost science-based advancement of susta<strong>in</strong>able construction <strong>in</strong> Europe.<br />
The Action is focused on an <strong>in</strong>tegrated approach to deal with the end-products of construction,<br />
clearly targeted at the development of R&D and eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g methods from structural<br />
po<strong>in</strong>ts of view. It aims at provid<strong>in</strong>g the construction sector with a new framework and ideas<br />
based on the <strong>in</strong>tegration of approaches and results of ongo<strong>in</strong>g research and development projects.<br />
The Action establish a broad network of European universities and other research centres <strong>in</strong><br />
the field of structural eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> order to transfer the state-of-the-art of technologies, design<br />
methods and practices through the exist<strong>in</strong>g and new l<strong>in</strong>ks of members of the Action <strong>in</strong> several<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternational organisations.<br />
The Action <strong>in</strong>volves collaborative analysis of results concern<strong>in</strong>g design and assessment<br />
methods and tools, advanced materials and technologies as well as construction processes, both<br />
for new constructions and the rehabilitation of the exist<strong>in</strong>g ones.<br />
1.2 Background<br />
The urban and natural environments are <strong>in</strong>separably l<strong>in</strong>ked. Energy, materials, water and land<br />
are all consumed <strong>in</strong> the construction and operation of build<strong>in</strong>gs and <strong>in</strong>frastructure to such an extent<br />
that susta<strong>in</strong>able development can be said to decisively depend on the built environment.<br />
The urban environment itself <strong>in</strong>fluences our liv<strong>in</strong>g conditions, social well-be<strong>in</strong>g and health. The<br />
European Commission has adopted a thematic strategy on the urban environment; one of the<br />
four priority themes is susta<strong>in</strong>able construction. All themes are cross-cutt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> nature and have<br />
strong l<strong>in</strong>ks with many environmental issues.<br />
Environmental, socio-economic and cultural issues <strong>in</strong> the construction sector are characterised<br />
by their complexity, the diversity of actors concerned and the need for <strong>in</strong>novative and multidiscipl<strong>in</strong>ary<br />
solutions. As the largest and most fragmented <strong>in</strong>dustry, the sector faces huge chal-<br />
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