R1 R&R Sept '16 52 cc

New research shows how used tyres can help protect bridges
In UK alone, 50 million tyres are discarded each year. With an ever increasing volume of vehicles in the world, the disposal of spent tyres is a
serious issue.
New research published in the Journal Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics has described a new method of protecting bridge
infrastructure in disaster-prone regions using used tyres that may otherwise be sent to landfill.
The challenge for the researchers was to find an inexpensive and effective material to bolster bridges, providing support but also providing a
buffer able to withstand the force of earthquake situations regardless of the length of the bridge. The team turned to conventional tyres; waste
tyres will be used to create a new product, called the isolator, namely a flexible and elastic layer of reused tyres. This flexible layer will be used to
absorb movements, reducing costs of repair.
The new design will eventually allow for safer and sturdier bridges in areas that do not have the means to erect expensive structures that require
extensive maintenance.
Parliament calls for greater sustainability in
transport infrastructure
Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has published a report
calling for greater sustainability from the Department for Transport in
future infrastructure projects.
The Department’s total spending is set to increase during this
Parliament: although its resource spending is due to go down, its
capital budgets will rise, with £73.4 billion of transport-related capital
investment between 2015–16 and 2020–21, including £34.5 billion for
Network Rail and £15.2 billion for its Roads Investment Strategy. In
2014–15 the Department allocated 50% of its gross expenditure to its
roads, traffic and local responsibilities; almost 40% to its rail executive
responsibilities; and 3% to its international, security and environment
responsibilities.
Whilst Parliament acknowledge that many positive steps have been
made towards better sustainability within the transport sector, the
report focuses on those areas where the Department for Transport
might go further to tackle climate change.
This has been welcomed by Campaign for Better Transport who will
be writing to the Department demanding further reduction of their
carbon footprint.
The regeneration of London’s 2012
Olympic Stadium
Balfour Beatty, working with Populous, Buro Happold and the
London Legacy Development Corporation, have repurposed the
iconic London 2012 stadium.
The stadium, which is now home to West Ham United FC, will have
a capacity of 54,000 people for football matches and 80,000 for
athletics events and music concerts.
Sustainability and skills building
Sustainability has been at the very heart of the redesign. So far the
work undertaken has included the reuse of 19,000 tonnes of
recycled demolition materials, 6,000 m of cable, 3,800 lights and
1,000 mechanical and electrical components. This sends a message
to the refurb and retrofit industry of what can be done to reduce
the volume of waste to landfill. (According to a report by the Wates
Group, the UK construction industry sends 36 million tons of waste
to landfill sites each year.)
The regeneration project has also been doing its bit to tackle the
skills shortage, with Balfour Beatty creating 50 local apprenticeships
and over 300 training opportunities across the site.
Reducing carbon usage in the built environment
The University of Wolverhampton has secured £1.2 million in additional funding to help small businesses develop low carbon products which
can be used by the Built Environment and Construction sector.
The Built Environment Climate Change Innovations (BECCI) project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and works with
small and medium businesses across the Black Country and the Marches region to develop innovative climate change solutions within the built
environment. Its broad coverage is on products associated with both new and existing housing as well as commercial and public buildings.
Paul Hampton, Director of the BECCI project and Head of Built Environment at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The University is
delighted to support the team on the whg energy challenge. This is just one example of how we are utilising funding to cut carbon emissions in
line with the government’s commitment to reduce the carbon footprint by 80% over the next thirty years.”
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Sep/Oct 2016 R1 Refurb retrofit
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