Six climate emergency actions for structural engineers

1 - Get better informed about the Climate Emergency

Understand the causes and consequences of carbon emissions for life on the planet
Recognise how structural engineering decisions have a direct impact on emissions and the harm they do
Understand how you, as a structural engineer, can reduce your professional carbon footprint TODAY.
Look for information from IPCC, CCC, UKGBC, IStructE, LETI, UK FIRES
Re-read the Structural Engineering Climate Emergency Declaration and note the key commitments made
Make sure your firm has declared and that everyone knows what this means for them

2 - Design low-carbon: reduce embodied carbon through low-carbon design

Understand where construction activities create carbon emissions through material production, manufacturing and site activities
Understand how to measure carbon embodied in a structural design
Understand how to reduce embodied carbon through material choices you make and the way you specify them
Select structural materials in ways that you know will reduce embodied carbon
Make controlling carbon in your design as important as controlling costs and ensuring safety
Make low-carbon important to your clients, team and supply chain
Information Sources: LETI Embodied Carbon Primer; IStructE Principles for Assessing Embodied Carbon (being published soon)

3 - Design lean: reduce material use specified in your design

Design for least material use, whilst retaining safety and buildability
Make sure all components are designed for least material use and are 100% utilised
Make sure design loads are fully appraised for the particular building context and use – do not design for unnecessarily high loads “just in case”
Consider future strengthening processes as a viable way to future-proof instead of over-design
Make sure the client understands that benefits of Lean Design in terms of cost and carbon

4 - Target zero waste - increase the re-use of materials in your designs

Apply cyclical practices for materials and design and build these into the project team way of working
Seek to use recycled materials to their full in your material specifications and in choice of components
Seek methods of fabrication and construction that allow easy deconstruction and re-use of materials at end of life

5 - Influence the brief - question your brief and take your client with you

Provide a Structural Sustainability report for your project that tracks sustainability targets agreed at the outset and targets achieved on the completion of the project
Inform your client of the changes in market expectations that will raise the value of low-carbon ethical construction and reduce the longer-term value of high carbon construction
Seek out opportunities to retain and restore buildings instead of demolish and replace
Understand how a development project could become an asset to the planet and regenerative (see www.livingbuildingchallenge.com)

6 - Get Involved - Be an active Professional Engineer

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