Climate emergency

The Climate Emergency Task Group help the profession to tackle climate breakdown. Their 2020 report reviews the group’s activities through the year.

Will Arnold describes the role structural engineers can play in tackling climate change, by making informed design decisions and influencing other members of the project team.

Mike Cook and Will Arnold outline the Institution’s approach to providing guidance on the climate emergency, discussing six key areas this guidance will fall into.

This foreword briefly summarises the commitments that engineers have made in declaring a climate emergency and considers first steps to build action plans that will support these commitments.

An introduction to the goals and how structural engineers can use them to tackle the climate crisis and create a better world.

Mike Cook summarises the outcomes of the IABSE British Group’s annual debating forum, setting out key actions that stakeholders in the construction industry can take to enable a transition to net zero.

Natasha Watson explains how structural engineers can produce designs that make efficient use of material to reduce their environmental impact.

Ian Poole explores ways to improve the utilisation ratio of designs, and encourages engineers to challenge assumptions that favour rationalisation over optimisation.

The IStructE Safety, Health and Wellbeing Panel considers the safety implications when aspiring to a lean design.

A study shared by BuroHappold to share knowledge that may help address the climate emergency.

Luke Bisby urges structural engineers to improve their understanding of ‘fire resistance’ as the profession looks to innovate rapidly in response to climate change.

Ben Gholam describes the development by Price & Myers of a parametric benchmarking tool to allow engineers to produce scheme designs with the lowest embodied carbon.

Arup global sustainable development leader, Jo da Silva, was made a Dame in the recent New Year Honours. She talks to Jackie Whitelaw about social responsibility in business, the engineering response to COP26 and the impact of the pandemic on future planning of cities.

How can structural engineers influence decision making?

Can very low-carbon buildings be constructed cheaply enough to suit the pockets of private-sector commercial developers? Yes, says Professor John French, who has set himself that target in his new role as director of sustainability  for Cambridge Innovation Parks. But to do so involves overhauling approaches to procurement, contracting, materials and risk.

William Algaard presents ways in which structural engineers can help shape the direction of a project by confidently and constructively sharing their expertise in a language that client and architect will understand.

James Norman, Tim Ibell and Oliver Broadbent examine the challenges engineers will face in persuading clients to repurpose existing buildings in place of building new ones.

Hear from the engineer behind the Structural Award-winning Newquay Harper Footbridge project - and get into the mindset of only doing what is necessary.