Diary dates (January 2020)

The construction industry needs a shake-up and that shake-up has now arrived. PropTech or ConTech refers to the digital transformation of the construction industry. With that transformation, two tectonic shifts are about to occur: it will become the greatest time in history to be an engineer; and the master architect will return.

It is simply not possible to build in the future the way we do today if we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, slow the depletion of natural resources and minimise waste production. These challenges can only be addressed if engineers and architects actively include them at the source of their designs.

Structural designers’ efforts to reduce environmental impacts traditionally consist of developing systems that minimise material quantities or use low-impact materials. A third strategy is currently (re)emerging: the reuse of structural components over multiple service lives and in new layouts.