Steel can take the sustainability lead

Steelwork can take the lead in creating a more sustainable environment, Cambridge University Professor of Engineering and the Environment Julian Allwood told an ICE conference.

Speaking at the Infrastructure: Engineering the Future conference Professor Allwood said the construction industry as a whole should look at better utilisation of materials and more cost efficient designs.

In a presentation entitled ‘A radical but necessary approach to sustainability’ he suggested a better use of temporary steel structures as an economical way forward.

Dismantling and reusing supermarket buildings once their regular lifespan, which is usually 20 years, has been reached should also be taken up by the industry.

Adding more value with less new steel was another theme of his presentation as was the issue of designing buildings with longer lifespans.

“This could ultimately lower costs and emissions,” he said. “While the avoidance of over-design in overtly architecturally designed structures would also be a more sustainable approach.”

Prior to becoming a professor at the University of Cambridge Julian Allwood worked for 10 years for Alcoa, then developed his academic career, initially at Imperial College.

In parallel with developing new manufacturing technologies for metals, he has built up a research group looking at environmental systems and production.