tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/building-692/articles
Building – The Conversation
2023-09-20T04:12:14Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/205471
2023-09-20T04:12:14Z
2023-09-20T04:12:14Z
Governments are pouring money into housing but materials, land and labour are still in short supply
<p>As Australia’s housing affordability crisis worsens, governments are spending more on housing.</p>
<p>Victoria’s Andrews government has <a href="https://www.vic.gov.au/housing-statement">announced</a> a suite of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/kingswood-golf-course-rezoning-among-five-projects-suddenly-approved-by-government-20230920-p5e64c.html">reforms</a> (such as boosting social housing and making planning processes faster) in an effort to get 800,000 extra homes in Victoria over the next decade.</p>
<p>Federally, the Albanese government’s A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, or HAFF, has <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-greens-were-right-to-pass-australias-housing-future-fund-bill-the-case-for-further-delay-was-weak-213255">passed the Senate</a> with the help of the Greens, who supported the bill in exchange for another A$1 billion for social housing.</p>
<p>And this year’s federal budget has expanded eligibility for the <a href="https://ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releases/11161#:%7E:text=Helping%20Australians%20with%20the%20cost,%242.7%20billion%20over%20five%20years">Home Guarantee Scheme</a> so more people can buy a home with a smaller deposit. </p>
<p>But is Australia ready for a house construction boom? </p>
<p>Supply chain constraints say no. Ballooning construction costs and labour shortages have already claimed well-known building firms across the country. Delivering thousands of extra new homes in the coming years will not be easy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Houses like half-constructed in the lanscape." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549027/original/file-20230919-25-o18tcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Is Australia ready for a house construction boom?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-greens-were-right-to-pass-australias-housing-future-fund-bill-the-case-for-further-delay-was-weak-213255">The Greens were right to pass Australia's Housing Future Fund bill – the case for further delay was weak</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Materials are hard to get</h2>
<p>Building a home requires the right materials at the right time. But many building materials are in short supply.</p>
<p>Timber is a good example. The Master Builders Association <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/timber-shortages-ease-but-reliance-on-overseas-suppliers-leaves-industry-exposed/news-story/50f6012ebbd48d2749a9309b7f9c6f1b">highlights</a> there are still pressures on timber and wood supplies.</p>
<p>This imbalance between supply and demand for construction materials can be traced back to the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/new-homebuilder-package-aims-to-safeguard-jobs-of-a-million-tradies-20200603-p54z7w.html">HomeBuilder</a> program, which saw over 138,000 Australians applying for a <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder">grant</a> to build or renovate. </p>
<p>The number of new dwellings commenced went from 41,855 in September 2020 to a <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/mar-2023">peak</a> of 67,306 in July 2021 – an increase of 60% in less than a year. </p>
<p>Typically, a spike in demand is met by imports. But soaring <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2022/03/28/how-soaring-shipping-costs-raise-prices-around-the-world">shipping costs</a> during the pandemic conspired with <a href="https://www.timberbiz.com.au/conflict-timber-comes-into-australia-with-false-origin-labels/#:%7E:text=Australia%20has%20not%20banned%20timber,conflict%20timber%20and%20its%20sustainability">restrictions</a> to timber imports from Russia to send global markets into disarray. </p>
<p>Tim Reardon, Chief Economist for the Housing Industry Association <a href="https://hia.com.au/our-industry/newsroom/economic-research-and-forecasting/2023/04/housing-supply-worsens-as-demand-increases">reckons</a> housing supply issues will not get any better soon. The federal government’s National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation <a href="https://www.nhfic.gov.au/research/state-nations-housing-report-2022-23">expects</a> housing supply will only recover by 2025-26.</p>
<p>Demand pressures will continue. As it is, there are lots of <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/mar-2023">unfinished homes</a> around the country.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Building frames of houses are seen against an urban background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549029/original/file-20230919-17-d1u576.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You need materials and energy to build a house.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Labour and land are also in short supply</h2>
<p>Building a home is labour intensive. Finding roofers, bricklayers, carpenters, tilers, landscapers and other construction workers has <a href="https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/download/2289/skills-shortage-quarterly-march-2023/1448/skills-shortage-quarterly-report-march-2023/docx">not been easy</a>. </p>
<p>Australia’s record low unemployment <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/unemployment-rate-falls-34">rates</a> and a global rise in <a href="https://www.oecd.org/publications/the-post-covid-19-rise-in-labour-shortages-e60c2d1c-en.htm">labour shortages</a> have made it hard for builders to find the workers they need to finish jobs. <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/construction-delays-perth-customers-waiting-up-to-four-years-for-new-homes-to-be-built-by-states-largest-builder/fa6334f3-64f9-47c1-9d5a-e0898e9a4a4e">Delays</a> are common.</p>
<p>Some skill sets are in even higher demand, as workers flock to oil and gas, mining, and infrastructure projects. In Western Australia, for example, <a href="https://bcec.edu.au/publications/housing-affordability-in-western-australia-2023-building-for-the-future/">research</a> has shown a shortage of construction managers, handy persons, and civil engineering professionals.</p>
<p>Then, there is the question of land. Greenfield projects (new developments on the city fringes) typically see fast approvals, fast sales, and good profit.</p>
<p>But suburbs alone cannot deliver the demand that is coming, thanks to the Housing Australia Future Fund and the other government initiatives.</p>
<p>There is a growing consensus more has to be done to increase <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-01/four-unique-ways-tokyo-approaches-housing/102784020">urban density</a> (in other words, apartments) next to <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-make-housing-more-affordable-this-is-what-state-governments-need-to-do-105050">mass transit hubs</a>.</p>
<p>But this isn’t easy either. Not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) critics abound and demand for standalone houses remains strong as people pursue the “great Australian dream” of a <a href="https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/amep-subsite/Files/intermediate-housing-housing-worksheet-1-the-great-australian-dream.pdf">large house</a> on a large block of land.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Construction workers look on as a crane moves a heavy object for a building project." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549030/original/file-20230919-20-iklfa4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Labour is in short supply.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>So how can we strengthen supply?</h2>
<p>These issues in materials, labour, and land will not solve themselves. Pouring more money into the housing market without addressing supply shortages will only increase prices. </p>
<p>So, what initiatives can really address the housing supply crisis? Options include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>reducing import taxes on materials like construction timber and steel frames to boost short-term supply (while adhering to long-term strategies to address future demand) </p></li>
<li><p>supporting new technologies in the construction industry (the federal government’s <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/about/news/grants-open-for-wood-processing-facilities">Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation</a> program, which enables the use of innovative technology for timber production, is one example)</p></li>
<li><p>increasing skilled migration to boost labour supply (Western Australia’s <a href="https://migration.wa.gov.au/news/boosting-was-building-construction-industry-through-skilled-migration">Construction Visa Subsidy Program</a>, which targets skilled migrants to the construction sector, shows what’s possible)</p></li>
<li><p>embracing manufactured homes (<a href="https://www.sbt-durabi.org/articles/article/M9R2/#Information">modular construction</a>, for example, can increase labour productivity, reduce costs and mitigate the effects of weather delays)</p></li>
<li><p>making it easier to release land for development, especially in urban areas (for example, the Victoria government is investing <a href="https://www.budget.vic.gov.au/homes-for-victorians">$40 million in red-tape busting measures</a>).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The housing crisis in Australia is far from over. Without coordinated action to increase supply, government grants will have little practical effect on house affordability anytime soon.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Is Australia ready for a house construction boom? Supply chain constraints say no.
Flavio Macau, Associate Dean - School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University
Deepa Bannigidadmath, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/210750
2023-08-30T15:07:26Z
2023-08-30T15:07:26Z
Curious Kids: how does a tower crane go up and down?
<p><strong>How does a crane go up and down? – Spencer, aged four, UK</strong></p>
<p>When you see the metal arms of a crane – known properly as a tower crane – against the skyline, you know a new building is going up in your city or town. </p>
<p>Many of the materials and machines on a big building site are too heavy for people to lift by themselves without getting hurt. Using a tower crane means that building materials can be lifted easily and quickly, even when something very tall is being built, such as a skyscraper. </p>
<p>Tower cranes are huge. They are transported to a building site in many separate small sections and put together on site, almost like a Lego kit. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282267/original/file-20190702-126345-1np1y7m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782">Curious Kids</a> is a series by <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk">The Conversation</a> that gives children the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskids@theconversation.com">curiouskids@theconversation.com</a> and make sure you include the asker’s first name, age and town or city. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we’ll do our very best.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>In order to lift heavy things like concrete, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/1/115">tower cranes</a> themselves must be very strong, so they are made from steel. Tower cranes come in many different sizes and many weigh more than 100 tonnes. They can carry up to <a href="https://thinkwelty.com/how-do-tower-cranes-work/">around 18 tonnes</a> – about the weight of 12 cars.</p>
<h2>Building the crane</h2>
<p>Before the tower crane can be put up, a strong foundation is normally built out of concrete and steel. This means that that the ground below will not collapse when the crane is lifting heavy materials.</p>
<p>When the foundation is ready, the bottom section of the tower is lifted by another crane (usually one attached to the top of a truck) and fixed on it. The other sections of the tower are then lifted and stacked on top of each other. Each section of the tower has a ladder inside it, so that the people building the crane can climb up and bolt the sections together. </p>
<p>Once the last section of the main tower is lifted and fixed, a big metal ring that can spin around is attached on top of it. There’s a driver up at the top of the crane and they sit in a cabin fixed to the side of this ring. This means that the driver has a good view of everywhere around the crane, because the cabin can move around in a circle. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man inside crane cabin smiling" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543769/original/file-20230821-15-yctdpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An engineer operates a tower crane from the cabin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/engineer-operator-crane-action-he-sit-1304722618">Oleksii Sidorov/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A steel frame which becomes the highest part of the tower crane is then lifted and fixed directly on top of the rotating ring. </p>
<p>Then, the bit of the crane which sticks out horizontally – the <a href="https://www.ny-engineers.com/blog/the-role-of-tower-cranes-in-high-rise-building-projects">lifting arm</a> – can be attached. It is connected to the rotating ring and tied to the highest steel frame of the tower with big, strong wire ropes. </p>
<p>The lifting arm also comes in sections which are connected together by strong bolts. In order to put these sections together safely, fitters wear harnesses tied to a stable point to ensure that they don’t fall from the heights they are working at. </p>
<p>Before the crane can be used, engineers check to make sure it is fixed and working perfectly. When the tower crane is in use, engineers also keep <a href="https://www.premierline.co.uk/knowledge-centre/adverse-weather-increases-risk-of-tower-crane-collapse.html">an eye on the weather</a>. Sometimes the crane can’t be used when the wind is too strong, because it might fall over. </p>
<p>The crane is ready to work. To balance the weight of the lifting arm when it is carrying things, some heavy weights made out of concrete are lifted and placed on the opposite side. </p>
<p>In order to lift things, a wire rope with a hook is connected to the lifting arm. By pulling or lowering this rope, things on the building site can be lifted or lowered – and the new skyscraper in your town can be built.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210750/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kenneth Awinda does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Tower cranes come in many different sizes, and many weigh more than 100 tonnes.
Kenneth Awinda, Senior Lecturer, School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Portsmouth
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/210137
2023-07-24T20:09:27Z
2023-07-24T20:09:27Z
Building houses in factories for the Commonwealth Games was meant to help the housing crisis. What now?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538911/original/file-20230724-25-3s1qad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C6%2C4573%2C3055&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Huge sporting events come with substantial public investment in housing. After Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympics, about 600 houses in the athlete village became public housing in West Heidelberg. After Melbourne hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athlete village in Parkville was <a href="https://www.development.vic.gov.au/projects/parkville-gardens?page=overview">largely sold off</a>, with 320 houses going to social housing. </p>
<p>Victoria’s now cancelled 2026 Commonwealth Games were meant to have the same effect in the state’s smaller cities. New dwellings were intended to help boost social and private housing supply amid the ongoing housing crisis. Ironically, the broader housing crisis <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/how-the-housing-crisis-helped-kill-off-the-commonwealth-games-20230719-p5dpij.html">may have contributed</a> to the cancellation, as worker shortages and building material price spikes took their toll. </p>
<p>Importantly, half of these <a href="https://builtoffsite.com.au/news/development-victoria-issues-advanced-tender-for-2026-commonwealth-games-with-commitment-for-50-prefabricated-buildings-and-structures/">were to be</a> prefabricated and modular buildings. This would speed up construction and demonstrate what’s now possible. While regions like Scotland now do almost all of their construction in factories, Australia is only just beginning. </p>
<p>So is cancellation of the games a blow for prefab construction in Australia? It’s a PR setback, given the attention it would have received. The state government has committed to building 1,300 new homes in the regions, the same number intended for the games. As yet, we don’t know if these will be prefab. </p>
<h2>Building the prefab profile</h2>
<p>Victoria agreed to host the games only last year. That gave very little lead time – the games will start in just two and a half years, assuming a new host is found. This rapid time frame was why Victoria’s government looked to prefab to provide the thousands of dwellings needed for officials, athletes and workers. </p>
<p>After the games, these houses in Victoria’s fast-growing host cities of Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Shepparton were meant to boost social and affordable <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victorian-government-eoi-commonwealth-games-villages">housing supply</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/turning-the-housing-crisis-around-how-a-circular-economy-can-give-us-affordable-sustainable-homes-208745">Turning the housing crisis around: how a circular economy can give us affordable, sustainable homes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The plans were a welcome shot in the arm for Australia’s prefab industry, which was just <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/21/could-prefab-homes-be-future-australian-house-houses">5% of new builds</a> this year, though it’s expected to reach <a href="https://builtoffsite.com.au/emag/issue-01/prefab-australian-building-sector/">10% by 2030</a>. Scaling up the use of prefabrication will need government support and leadership. </p>
<p>Leading prefab jurisdictions like <a href="https://www.nweurope.eu/media/10913/tg_construction_oxford_meeting_brochure.pdf">Scotland</a> and <a href="https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/scandinavia-prefabricated-housing-market">Sweden</a> have needed government support to get to where they are, with prefab accounting for 84%.</p>
<h2>Why look to prefab homes at all?</h2>
<p>Factories are a way of producing standardised products more cheaply. Bringing <a href="https://aecom.com/without-limits/article/offsite-construction-unlocking-a-thriving-and-sustainable-construction-industry">these techniques</a> to bear on houses cuts costs, slashes waste by up to half, and can quickly boost housing supply. Waste can be cut by precise standardised measurements and the use of low-carbon materials like timber or <a href="https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/aisc-design-guide-for-hybrid-steel-timber">hybrid steel-timber</a> reduces environmental impact. </p>
<p>You might think prefab homes would all look the same or lack quality. But standardisation can often be high quality. When construction is done in a factory setting with a controlled environment, it can be easier to ensure it’s airtight, well insulated and meets standards.</p>
<p>Prefab factories can reduce the impact of weather on construction, though it does create another challenge – transporting the dwelling to the site. </p>
<p>It’s not just for single or double-storey buildings. More than 500 apartments were delivered to a vacant site in London using modular systems, which were then slotted into place to <a href="https://www.hta.co.uk/project/101-george-street">build Ten Degrees</a>, the world’s tallest residential modular building to this date. The process cut embodied carbon by up to 40%, according to the building’s designers. </p>
<h2>Boosting prefab without the games</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.mbav.com.au/news-information/policy-and-advocacy/building-transition-report?policy">recent report</a> led by Master Builders Victoria, we examined how experiences of the Birmingham 2022 and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in the UK helped the construction industry innovate in areas like prefab housing. </p>
<p>Preparations for the Birmingham games faced the unprecedented challenge of the COVID pandemic. As a result, the planned athlete village was <a href="https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/homes-and-property/first-time-home-buyers-luck-26680120">never used</a> for athletes, and the units built eventually became private and social housing. Prefab techniques <a href="https://familybusinessunited.com/2021/02/26/willmott-dixon-embraces-innovative-approach-in-birmingham">were used</a> to build 430 apartments. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1565624266766393345"}"></div></p>
<p>Even with the COVID challenge, these apartments were completed ahead of time. In contrast to traditional construction methods, there was more use of the local workforce.</p>
<h2>Why isn’t Australia embracing these techniques?</h2>
<p>Inertia. To make prefab housing mainstream in Australia will mean major changes to the way things are done at present. Our construction industry is not always able to take risks, which makes innovation challenging. </p>
<p>One way to get around this is to create the demand for these types of houses. In Victoria, the government’s pledge to still deliver the promised regional housing could be tied to prefabrication, to help deliver high quality, <a href="https://theconversation.com/turning-the-housing-crisis-around-how-a-circular-economy-can-give-us-affordable-sustainable-homes-208745">sustainable and affordable housing</a> more quickly and begin reshaping the wider industry.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="modular office building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538906/original/file-20230724-23-3c5cz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Prefab buildings can be produced to be modular, meaning they can stack or connect, as in this image of a modular office building in Berlin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even with the games gone, other pressures like the rental and housing crisis are only intensifying. Prefab could help here by offering more affordable and sustainable housing as an option, especially outside metropolitan areas where the cost of land makes up a smaller proportion of the cost of a house or as urban infill.</p>
<p>The games would have helped supercharge the prefab industry. But Australia has an urgent need for more housing. Prefab could <a href="https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/why-prefab-building-is-going-gangbusters-smart-building-for-the-21st-century/">help deliver this</a> more cheaply and more sustainably. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/building-in-the-same-old-ways-wont-end-the-housing-crisis-we-need-innovation-to-boost-productivity-206862">Building in the same old ways won't end the housing crisis. We need innovation to boost productivity</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Former RMIT researcher and Master Builders Victoria adviser Joana Correia contributed to this piece.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210137/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Dorignon has received funding from various organisations including the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and various industry partners.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trivess Moore has received funding from various organisations including the Australian Research Council, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Victorian Government and various industry partners. He is a trustee of the Fuel Poverty Research Network.</span></em></p>
If we build homes on a production line, we could make them cheaper, faster and more sustainable.
Louise Dorignon, Vice-Chancellor Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University
Trivess Moore, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/203325
2023-04-12T23:51:04Z
2023-04-12T23:51:04Z
‘Build back better’ requires a framework that focuses on the full life of a house – from materials to its end of life
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520144/original/file-20230411-28-thnam3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=66%2C94%2C6230%2C4380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, New Zealand is again talking about “<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131292589/chris-hipkins-commits-to-build-back-better-anticipating-billions-needed-for-cyclone-recovery">building back better</a>”. But how do we build back better when we don’t necessarily understand what “better” means? Or how to achieve this across a country with significantly different risk profiles?</p>
<p>At its most basic level, build back better is an opportunity to rebuild homes and other buildings in a way that is responsive to future risks and sustainability needs. To achieve this, we need to address knowledge gaps around building within a <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-a-circular-economy-29666">circular economy</a>. A circular economy is one that swaps the typical cycle of make, use, dispose in favour of re-using and recycling as much as possible.</p>
<p>A sustainable building in the circular economy model will minimise emissions and its impact on climate and natural resources across its entire life cycle. This life cycle includes the manufacturing of materials and construction, passive lifetime emissions, maintenance, as well as end-of-life requirements (deconstruction).</p>
<p>At the University of Waikato, our research is focused on material choices, both for long-term rebuild as well immediate emergency relief. We approach this from a structural engineering perspective and consider light steel, light timber, fiber reinforced polymers and concrete. We work alongside industry to develop know-how around deconstruction for light steel and timber structures. </p>
<p><a href="https://eng.waikato.ac.nz/research/cold-formed-steel-structures-group">The research</a> will contribute to best practice guidelines and circular economy adaptation. Here’s why this is important.</p>
<h2>Embracing a circular economy</h2>
<p>The construction and demolition industry in New Zealand <a href="https://www.branz.co.nz/sustainable-building/reducing-building-waste/">produces around 50% of all waste</a>. According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/2022-global-status-report-buildings-and-construction">2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction</a>, the sector accounts for more than 34% of energy demand globally and around 37% of energy and process-related carbon dioxide emissions. The report concludes that the building and construction sector are not on track to achieve decarbonisation by 2050 – the international deadline for achieving <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050">net zero energy emissions</a>.</p>
<p>The New Zealand government has committed to the circular economy model in its <a href="https://theconversation.com/nzs-government-plans-to-switch-to-a-circular-economy-to-cut-waste-and-emissions-but-its-going-around-in-the-wrong-circles-170704">plans to deal with waste</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-companies-want-net-zero-carbon-offices-they-need-to-focus-on-building-materials-173476">If companies want net-zero carbon offices,
they need to focus on building materials</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But building back better isn’t simply about using sustainable materials and construction methods, and incorporating features that enable lower emissions during the “living phase” of a home. </p>
<p>Buildings need end-of-life considerations built into the design and construction, so they can be easily repurposed or deconstructed with minimal energy and then recycled, reused or disposed of in a manner that doesn’t send emissions through the roof.</p>
<p>Presently, we’re building sustainable homes on the premise of being carbon neutral by 2050, but they also need to be built on the premise of being carbon neutral at the end-of-life in 50 years. </p>
<p>We are not even close to achieving that. A report from building research institute BRANZ determined the climate impact of a new-build standalone house exceeds the 1.5°C climate targets by a factor of <a href="https://d39d3mj7qio96p.cloudfront.net/media/documents/ER63_Carbon_budget_sensitivities_LR12977.pdf">6.7 during its life cycle</a>. This shows the substantial work needed to achieve carbon neutrality of new homes.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1635640873399492612"}"></div></p>
<h2>Modular buildings and new materials beckon</h2>
<p>The solution to this issue may lie in modular homes and the development of new materials. </p>
<p>Quick and easy to make, modular homes provide fast options to house displaced people. They are also valuable for community wellbeing after the trauma of natural disasters. Finally, modular homes offer exciting opportunities for sustainability. They can be easily reconfigured to adapt to changing needs, for example, with the addition or removal of modules.</p>
<p>However, without careful design and know-how, modular homes and the foundations under them will not necessarily provide resilient and sustainable structures into the future. </p>
<p>The most challenging aspect of modular homes is the connection between the structures and their foundations. Therefore, it’s critical for resilient structures that the connections are designed carefully. Throughout the design process, those in charge need to consider the structure’s deconstruction or disassembly at the end of its life. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-net-zero-and-passive-houses-can-cut-carbon-emissions-and-energy-bills-148587">How 'net-zero' and 'passive' houses can cut carbon emissions — and energy bills</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>That said, modular homes are also not the cure all for the entire building industry. The global need for sustainable and resilient buildings is a driver for the development of new construction materials, such as the plasterboard substitutes <a href="https://www.saveboard.nz/">saveBOARD</a> and <a href="https://www.neocrete.co.nz/">Neocrete</a>, a low-emission concrete.</p>
<p>These products offer low-emission building options, which use recycled materials in manufacturing and provide an alternative to high-emission materials. But, due to a lack of strict regulations around adopting new materials and a lack of awareness in the industry, adoption has been slow. </p>
<h2>Identifying the missing data</h2>
<p>In New Zealand, we have different risk profiles across the regions, depending on the likelihood of earthquakes and natural hazards like flooding, landslides, and wildfires – as well as the intensification of those hazards due to climate change. </p>
<p>The location risk profile dictates the best materials, but to utilise new materials, we need local testing data which are very limited as of yet.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-afford-to-just-build-greener-we-must-build-less-170570">We can't afford to just build greener. We must build less</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If we’re really committed to building back better, then we need to do the research and incorporate the evidence into the building code, design standards and information for construction practitioners. </p>
<p>This could mean a “passport” for new materials based on local testing. The passport would incorporate details on the potential to recycle and reuse, a disassembly guide and a sustainability record (in essence, an environmental declaration).</p>
<p>The adaptation of the circular economy approach to the “build back better” strategy for buildings will be essential in reducing the risk of future catastrophes, as well as the impacts on climate and natural resources. Setting up a clear guideline for this strategy will be a pivotal early step in helping the industry define and oversee its efforts towards these objectives, which are currently lacking.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203325/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Krishanu Roy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Innovative materials and modular buildings offer New Zealand a way to build back better after Cyclone Gabrielle. But to do this, we need to develop the framework to support the new approach.
Krishanu Roy, Senior Lecturer in Engineering, University of Waikato
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/188298
2022-09-06T20:06:43Z
2022-09-06T20:06:43Z
Building costs have soared. Is it time to abandon my home renovation plans?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480706/original/file-20220824-12-ixrqp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C1920%2C1267&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia’s appetite for home renovations remains strong, with around <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-approvals-australia/latest-release">A$1 billion</a> worth of alterations and additions to homes approved in July. </p>
<p>But rising interest rates and shortages in labour and material may have some would-be renovators wondering: is this still a good idea?</p>
<p>Here are five questions worth considering.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1553950721414168576"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-adds-value-to-your-house-how-to-decide-between-renovating-and-selling-140627">What adds value to your house? How to decide between renovating and selling</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. What would a successful renovation look like – before, during and after?</h2>
<p>As with any major financial decision, you need to understand how the renovation fits with your broader life goals. Why do you want to do it?</p>
<p>There’s a big difference between a “nice-to-have” new kitchen and a “must-have” modified bathroom for mobility needs.</p>
<p>Let’s say you’re choosing, rather than needing, to renovate.</p>
<p>Consider whether the choice is for capital gain at sale in the short term (up to five years). Flipping a property will incur transaction costs such as stamp duty and legal fees, so factor those into the overall cost. Can you still afford it?</p>
<p>Or are you looking to live in the house over the longer term? Will the renovation deliver lifestyle enjoyment over many years? For some, that may make a period of financial belt-tightening worth it.</p>
<p>It’s never just about the capital gain, increased floor space, amenity or privacy. </p>
<p>A renovation affects areas of <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-are-you-ok-here-are-the-groups-with-the-highest-and-lowest-life-satisfaction-150363">life satisfaction</a> beyond finances – including family life, relationships, work, health, and lifestyle opportunities such as being able to afford to travel.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480703/original/file-20220824-20-jm7qiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There’s a big difference between a ‘nice-to-have’ new kitchen and a ‘must-have’ modified bathroom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by immo RENOVATION on Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Have you done the sums?</h2>
<p>You may have quotes from designers or builders. Check the detail including allowances for budget variations. Consider whether some changes – such as solar, good insulation and energy-smart design – may reduce bills over time.</p>
<p>You can use the government’s online Moneysmart <a href="https://moneysmart.gov.au/home-loans/mortgage-calculator">calculator</a> to work out what your increased payments would be on a larger mortgage after you’ve paid for a renovation.</p>
<p>Say you have a 25-year mortgage and are considering a $150,000 renovation. That may cost you around $10,000 extra annually in mortgage payments, particularly if interest rates were to increase from a variable rate of 3.5% now to 5.5% over the next few years. </p>
<p>That $10,000 would be <em>in addition to</em> the increase in repayments on your existing mortgage, which (on the average new owner-occupier Australian mortgage of about <a href="https://www.ratecity.com.au/home-loans/mortgage-news/average-mortgage-around-australia">$610,000</a>) could be around $8,500 extra if rates went up by two percentage points.</p>
<h2>3. How much risk can you stomach?</h2>
<p>If you had a sudden shock to your income, expenses or health, how long could you cover all your expenses without having to sell major assets or go without lifestyle staples?</p>
<p>This may depend on a range of factors, including whether you have income protection or other insurances, and if you have a savings buffer. </p>
<p>One indicator of your risk is your <a href="https://www.canstar.com.au/home-loans/debt-income-ratio/">debt-to-income ratio</a> (total debt divided by before-tax annual income, excluding compulsory superannuation contributions). </p>
<p>Lenders and regulators consider a ratio above six to be high. However, <a href="https://www.apra.gov.au/news-and-publications/apra-releases-quarterly-authorised-deposit-taking-institution-statistics-11">23.1%</a> of borrowers in the March quarter 2022 had a ratio of six or more.</p>
<p>Your personal debt comfort zone might be much more conservative. Only you will know how much debt you can live with before it stresses you out so much it’s not worth it.</p>
<p>If you have determined your full project is too risky for now, you might consider doing the renovation in stages. But while this might get you a smaller mortgage in the short term, it can cost more in the long run and draw out the time frame.</p>
<p>What if you’ve already had an architect or designer draw up plans and get approvals, but no longer want to renovate? You might consider selling the house with the approved plans; this is still a good value-adding option.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5184%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5184%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480702/original/file-20220824-13-209cxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A renovation can affect relationships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. What expert advice can you get?</h2>
<p><a href="https://thinkinsights.net/strategy/choiceology-overconfidence-hindsight">Seeking expert advice</a> from architects, designers, landscapers, builders or project managers before and during the renovation can get you better value, less stress and fewer mistakes overall. </p>
<p>Word-of-mouth recommendations can help, but check the <a href="https://www.mbqld.com.au/home-owners/find-a-master-builder?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkr-0sMDg-QIV6PvICh1G9Ab4EAAYASAAEgIdqvD_BwE">Master Builder Association listings and ratings</a> for builders, too.</p>
<p>It’s vital you do your due diligence on the quality, reliability, solvency, style, insurance and cost of experts you enlist. </p>
<p>That can include seeking advice from a building and construction expert lawyer to check the contract before you sign. </p>
<p>Choose someone who is easy to talk to, listens and understands your goals. The relationship with your build and design team will be crucial.</p>
<h2>5. What role do my emotions play?</h2>
<p>Almost every episode of renovation reality shows seems to feature an emotional breakdown and a massive budget blowout.</p>
<p>Emotions are an important consideration throughout your renovation. Financial decisions are never just about money.</p>
<p>If maintaining relationships and a healthy stress level is part of what a successful renovation looks like for you, plan ahead for that.</p>
<p>If that means moving into a rental for the renovation period, add it to the budget considerations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480705/original/file-20220824-686-pleeaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Renovating can be exciting but also exhausting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Renovating can be exciting and exhausting, but beware of some of the common renovation decision-making <a href="https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0378778822001293?token=4C9598870045D57C1C8CC6D233C5D3F8C4A829BCD87B03C993D43E0C8FAA0DFE4EFCF44DF337E882B3E7AD21C1BA6FF5&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20220821045014">biases</a>. </p>
<p>One is the <a href="https://media.proquest.com/media/pq/classic/doc/2652784771/fmt/pi/rep/NONE?_s=ew%2Bn%2Fm85xXTvT0NWBCxBx6cJzQQ%3D">sunk cost fallacy</a>, where the time and money you’ve sunk into the project so far can make it hard to change or abandon plans. </p>
<p>Even paying a small deposit can lead to an irrational reluctance to change course.</p>
<p>Then there’s decision fatigue, where mental energy gets depleted with each decision (and there are a <em>lot</em>). It gets tempting to give in to whatever seems easiest at the time. </p>
<p>Be prepared to take more time to contemplate high-stakes decisions, and get advice, particularly in areas where you have no experience. Getting the right advice at the right time over a renovation could be among the most important financial decisions you ever make.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-can-i-spend-on-my-home-renovation-a-personal-finance-expert-explains-160696">How much can I spend on my home renovation? A personal finance expert explains</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188298/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Di Johnson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As with any major financial decision, you need to understand how the renovation fits with your broader life goals. Why do you want to do it?
Di Johnson, Lecturer in Finance, Griffith University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/189380
2022-09-05T01:51:42Z
2022-09-05T01:51:42Z
Planning a renovation or new build? Here’s the outlook for skyrocketing steel and timber prices
<p>It’s a tough time to build or renovate a house in Australia. Prices are up, well above inflation. Finding materials and getting them on time is a challenge. Builders are grappling with too much work and stress (with some folding as costs rise too fast). Customers are being confronted with eye-watering price quotes.</p>
<p>And as any would-be home builder or renovator knows, the price of timber or steel is crucial. </p>
<p>So what exactly is happening here, and what’s the outlook?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/homebuilder-might-be-the-most-complex-least-equitable-construction-jobs-program-ever-devised-140162">HomeBuilder might be the most-complex least-equitable construction jobs program ever devised</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Timber: huge demand, not enough supply</h2>
<p>According a 2021 Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) <a href="https://daff.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/1032742/0">report</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>average annual hardwood log availability is forecast to be 1 million cubic metres (9%) lower over 2020-24 than 2015-19 […] softwood sawlog availability is projected to be 10% lower in the period of 2020-24 than was projected in 2015.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The same <a href="https://daff.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/1032742/0">report</a> shows minimal new plantations were established in recent years.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482425/original/file-20220902-23-4yd8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New plantation establishment–the majority of Australia’s new plantations since 1998-99 have been hardwood species, with minimal new establishment since 2012.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://daff.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/1032742/0">ABARES</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the 2019-20 bushfires, 130,000 hectares of plantation forest were <a href="https://daff.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/1030501/1">burned</a>. Recent floods didn’t help.</p>
<p>Native forest harvesting is also falling; it will be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/08/western-australia-to-ban-native-forest-logging-from-2024-in-move-that-blindsides-industry">banned</a> in Western Australia by 2024. Victoria will phase out the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/20m-loss-native-forest-logging-last-year-cost-nsw-taxpayers-441-per-hectare-20220314-p5a4g1.html">industry</a> by 2030.</p>
<p>A timber shortage was expected as early as 2020 but the start of the COVID pandemic – when the housing market momentarily froze – brought some respite, with house construction and timber prices initially going down.</p>
<p>Then came <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder">HomeBuilder</a>, which encouraged consumers to proceed with purchases or renovations to reignite the house construction market.</p>
<p>The number of dwelling units commenced <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/latest-release">shot up</a> by more than 60%, from about 41,000 by September 2019 to 67,000 by June 2021.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="vpJDl" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/vpJDl/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>The stock of dwellings under construction went from about 180,000 in 2020 to more than 240,000 today.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="X676y" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/X676y/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>If you are building many more houses, you need more construction materials. A mild deficit projected for 2020 has now turned into a black hole.</p>
<p>With less timber available, industry <a href="https://www.timberindustrynews.com/lumber-shortages-australia-threaten-construction-industry/">sees</a> a deficit of at least 250,000 wooden house frames in the next 15 years. Scarcity is the new normal.</p>
<p>The result is a growth in <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/au/bed/domestic-price-of-timber/5120/">domestic prices</a> as timber processors struggle to meet contract obligations. </p>
<p>Logs cannot be manufactured. They grow, and this takes about 20 years. The only way to go through current shortages is by importing or replacing timber. </p>
<p>Importing timber isn’t cheap. Australia has very low <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40725-021-00156-5">costs</a> to grow and harvest, less than half of major global exporters. Adding to that, international <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-02/maersk-raises-profit-forecast-as-congestions-boost-freight-rates">shipping rates have surged</a> in the past two years. </p>
<p>These act as barriers to imports, which <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/forests/forest-economics/forest-wood-products-statistics">fell</a> considerably in the past decade.</p>
<h2>Steel: supply chain woes and war on Ukraine</h2>
<p>Steel is the typical replacement for timber. But builders and renovators will not find good news there either. Steel prices also <a href="https://propertyupdate.com.au/how-much-on-average-does-it-cost-to-build-a-house/">skyrocketed</a> by more than 42% in the year ending March 2022, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.</p>
<p>Troubled supply chains have reduced <a href="https://www.mitre10.com.au/insite/australia-braces-for-lengthy-steel-shortage">supply</a> at a time of unexpectedly high demand, and investment has been scarce in recent years.</p>
<p>When a recovery was on the horizon, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-01/war-means-surging-steel-prices-and-unfinished-infrastructure">war</a> hit shipments of key stock from Ukraine and Russia.</p>
<p>With few players left, home builders in Australia <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/opinion/john-durie-steel-price-rises-tradies-bluescope-monopoly/">assert</a> they’re at the mercy of a de facto monopoly by BlueScope Steel in the light gauge steel framing market.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, BlueScope customers had to <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/competition/bluescope-customers-pay-more-for-steel/">contend</a> with a 38% price increase on steel fabrication products.</p>
<p>A 2021 federal government <a href="https://www.globaltradealert.org/intervention/103764/anti-dumping/australia-definitive-anti-dumping-and-countervailing-duties-on-imports-of-certain-aluminium-zinc-coated-steel-600mm-from-the-republic-of-korea-and-vietnam-termination-of-part-of-the-investigation-on-imports-from-chinese-taipei-and-vietnam">decision</a> to impose dumping duties of up to 20.9% on steel imports from Korea and Vietnam did not exactly help bring prices down.</p>
<p>In February 2022, BlueScope <a href="https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7629367/pandemic-trends-here-to-stay-for-steel-bluescope-ceo/">posted</a> its largest half-year profit ever.</p>
<p>According to its chief executive, Mark Vassella, current trends are here to stay. The company intends to make the most of current market conditions and expand its capacity, with plans to reignite a blast furnace deactivated in 2011.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1553931572268929025"}"></div></p>
<h2>What happens next?</h2>
<p>The price outlook is grim. </p>
<p>Master Builders Queensland chief executive Paul Bidwell reckons material price rises may not yet have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-27/housing-construction-industry-braces-for-more-uncertainty/101378080?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web">peaked</a>.</p>
<p>There is no indication timber prices will go down again, as they did in 2020. As for steel, 2013 was the last time there was a significant price reduction.</p>
<p>The Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS/HIA) <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-23/greed-construction-loss-making-boom-sees-builders-collapse/101334170">recorded</a> in June this year an increase of about 40% in prices for reinforced steel, structural timber and steel beams. </p>
<p>Thanks to the housing construction boom, building projects now face <a href="https://sustainableforestmanagement.com.au/australian-timber-shortage/">delays</a>, which further drives up construction <a href="https://www.fwpa.com.au/statistics-count-newsletter/1710-is-steel-growing-its-share-new-report-for-fwpa.html">costs</a>.</p>
<p>Several builders have gone <a href="https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/i-bet-more-builders-go-broke-20220804-p5b79q">broke</a>. Those under a fixed-price contract who factored low material <a href="https://www.fwpa.com.au/news/newsletters/statisticscount-newsletter/2333-structural-timber-prices-up-26-0-in-september-quarter.html">prices</a> into their quotes are now facing the hard truth of working for little or no profit, or even at a loss.</p>
<p>Will construction prices come down? One can only hope – but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-causing-australias-egg-shortage-a-shift-to-free-range-and-short-winter-days-188433">What's causing Australia's egg shortage? A shift to free-range and short winter days</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189380/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Flavio Macau is affiliated with the Australasian Supply Chain Institute (ASCI) </span></em></p>
If you’re holding off on renovating until next year expecting prices to calm down, odds are you will be disappointed.
Flavio Macau, Associate Dean - School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/171280
2022-01-20T10:24:08Z
2022-01-20T10:24:08Z
Radical overhaul of construction industry needed if UK to have any chance of net zero by 2050 – new research
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431504/original/file-20211111-19-1vwsog0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C11%2C2481%2C1646&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/construction-external-wall-thermal-insulation-rock-1486349063">Tricky_Shark/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As I entered the construction site in England a decade ago, I was filled with excitement. This was a new state of the art housing development. I was there to provide independent evidence as to whether the development stood up to its claims of superior energy performance – the construction company promised that the finished buildings would consume far less energy than the norm. As I put my high visibility jacket and helmet on, I noticed a TV crew unloading their equipment. This was clearly a high profile site.</p>
<p>The site manager took me to the first house, where I was going to set up equipment for an air tightness test. I would use a large fan to create negative pressure in the building by extracting air from it, then use a pressure difference instrument to measure air flow through gaps and cracks in the building. A site operative with a mastic sealant gun told me: “I made it ready for you, mate.” The TV crew was right behind me – they were going to film me doing the test.</p>
<p>But as I started a routine visual inspection of the house, I noticed a pea-sized hole in one of the window frames – it turned out that the operative hadn’t done a very good job after all. As a result, the air tightness test had to be postponed, and the TV crew got an extended coffee break until we found the man with the mastic gun. </p>
<p>This incident is representative of my career. I’ve very rarely come across a building that actually lives up to its claims.</p>
<p>Now, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.754733/full">my new research</a> reveals that even the best aspects of the UK’s current building plans don’t go nearly far enough. We have found that due to <a href="https://theconversation.com/embodied-carbon-why-truly-net-zero-buildings-could-still-be-decades-away-170401">embodied carbon emissions</a> – the emissions that derive from making building materials and constructing houses, rather than heating and powering them – only building all new housing using naturally grown materials with negative embodied carbon will allow the UK housing industry to be net zero by 2050.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>This story is part of Conversation Insights</em></strong>
<br><em>The Insights team generates <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218">long-form journalism</a> and is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects to tackle societal and scientific challenges.</em> </p>
<hr>
<p>Numerous UK local authorities have declared a <a href="https://www.climateemergency.uk/blog/list-of-councils/">climate emergency</a>, and are committed to constructing buildings to net zero carbon emissions, in many cases aiming to reach this by 2030. But the current <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conservation-of-fuel-and-power-approved-document-l">UK building regulations</a> do not even require new buildings to achieve operational zero emissions – that is, emissions from building use. Embodied emissions – emissions from making and using building materials – are not even on the radar of the local authorities. </p>
<p>The problem is that there isn’t enough joined-up thinking. Builders are trained how to build, but are not trained to know how their work affects building energy performance. Government initiatives are introduced by one department to reduce energy consumption and discontinued by another department to enable enough houses to be built cheaply, with no consideration for unintended consequences. Building standards are not ambitious enough and take years to change. Developers do not want to exceed these standards as this would increase their costs and reduce profits. The industry is fragmented, and operates in silos. </p>
<h2>Quality of workmanship</h2>
<p>Even when intentions are good and houses are designed to the best specifications, lack of training standards in construction mean they often aren’t built properly.</p>
<p>I started working in the construction industry while doing my PhD on the energy performance of a new <a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/SE.-00268-83">“solar village” in Bournville</a>, Birmingham. The houses in this new village were what we call “passive solar”: they had been extremely well insulated and were designed to admit heat from the sun through large, south-facing glazing, and to retain warmth within the concrete floor slab and the dense concrete blocks in the walls. This heat, slowly emitted, warmed the houses, reducing the need for a central heating system much of the time.</p>
<p>As the desired effect is only achieved in an airtight building – so that heat cannot escape the house – my team tested the air tightness of a demonstration house. We were surprised to find that the test instruments were telling us that the building was not airtight at all – there was a significant air leak. The search for the air leak took us to the attic space, where we found that heating pipes running from the solar hot water system on the roof into the house were routed through unnecessarily large and unsealed holes. We sealed the holes and carried out a successful air tightness test. The year was 1985.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Houses with solar panels on the roof." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Modern houses with solar panels on the roof for alternative energy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/modern-houses-solar-panels-on-roof-491984632">Shutterstock/esbobeldijk</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This has happened to me many times over the years. Buildings are rarely as airtight as construction companies claim them to be. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Zero-Carbon-Buildings-Using-Dynamic-Simulation-Methods/Jankovic/p/book/9781138658318">This is often due to</a> large holes drilled for small electricity cables; window frames peppered with holes; air leaks through loft hatches and door thresholds; air leaks through electrical sockets in walls and through holes for pipes in the floors.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/embodied-carbon-why-truly-net-zero-buildings-could-still-be-decades-away-170401">Embodied carbon: why truly net zero buildings could still be decades away</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Big house builders consider that it is too onerous to improve air tightness, and some argue that this may be why the regulations <a href="https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/airtightness">haven’t changed for years</a>.</p>
<h2>Meaningless assessments</h2>
<p>Carbon dioxide emissions came on the horizon in the first decade of this century as something that needed to be better controlled in buildings.</p>
<p>In 2006, I was cautiously optimistic about the future of house building in the UK. The EU’s <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en">Energy Performance of Buildings Directive</a> had just been adopted in <a href="https://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/Scotland/Energy_Performance_of_Buildings_Directive_(EPBD).pdf">Building Regulations</a> in England and Wales. This meant that the assessment of building energy performance would become mandatory in the UK. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) would be required for every commercial or residential building when constructed, sold or let, and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) would be required in buildings with a floor area of over 250m², occupied by public authorities and frequently visited by the public. </p>
<p>As an academic who is also a practising engineer, I received authorisation to assess energy performance of buildings and to issue EPCs and DECs. But soon I realised that there were various routes to the same qualification. Under some of these schemes, <a href="https://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/Domestic-Energy-Assessor-Condensed-5-Day-Classroom/25-04-2022">it became possible</a> for people with no previous qualifications or experience in building performance to retrain from unrelated vocational qualifications and become government-approved energy performance assessors in just a week.</p>
<p>Soon, the market was awash with poorly-trained energy performance assessors. While shadowing one of the on-site assessors, it astonished me that they did not even consider the orientation of the building, thus missing crucial information on heat gains and losses. Instead of improving the overall performance of the building stock, boxes were ticked and the buildings appeared to be better on paper, while in reality they were not much better than they had always been.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Energy efficiency form and a calculator." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How much do these energy performance certificates really mean?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/colorful-energy-efficiency-chart-calculator-264753443">Niyazz/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Failed government initiatives</h2>
<p>Similar failures have followed. England’s Green Homes Grant, for example, was recently described as a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/01/uk-green-homes-scheme-was-slam-dunk-fail-says-public-accounts-committee">slam dunk fail</a>” by the public accounts committee. This scheme, launched in 2020, was to provide £5,000 grants for improving the thermal insulation of homes. Only 47,000 homes out of the 600,000 planned were upgraded, and more than £1,000 per upgraded home was spent on administration. The scheme was scrapped in 2021. </p>
<p>This is not the first time we’ve seen a government scheme scrapped. There have been multiple grants that have been poorly planned and have turned out to be inadequate, with some of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cop26-heres-how-much-progress-the-uk-has-made-on-three-key-net-zero-pledges-169701">new ones</a> likely to only scratch the surface.</p>
<p>Looking back, the construction industry has a long history of substandard performance. The industry faces a <a href="https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/market-analysis-construction-skills-shortage-aging-workforce-reduced-immigration">titanic struggle for skills</a> that appears to be <a href="https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/modus/business-and-skills/better-business/closing-the-skills-gap-uk-construction.html">long term and structural</a>. Many energy performance assessors are not sufficiently trained and can qualify in five days with <a href="https://www.energy-trust.co.uk/training-courses/cat-2-domestic-energy-assessor/">no prior experience</a>, rendering energy performance certificates nearly meaningless. And the government has discontinued multiple green subsidy schemes, which is the only way the general public will be encouraged to retrofit or improve the housing stock. </p>
<p>Yet many new developments have been trumpeted as “green” in one way or another, with no rigorous analysis of that green status. For instance, it is not uncommon that a prefabricated building system is claimed to be net zero by its manufacturer without calculating the total embodied emissions contained in the individual materials used in its manufacture. This is due to the lack of long term coordinated thinking.</p>
<h2>We know how to do it</h2>
<p>The thing is: we actually know how to build a truly zero carbon house. So why are we not doing it, on a massive scale?</p>
<p>I have used the <a href="https://zerocarbonhousebirmingham.org.uk/">Birmingham Zero Carbon House</a> as evidence of this since 2010. This is a retrofitted house, based on an 1840, end-of-terrace brick house. Retrofitting is a process of adding something to a building that was not done or available at the time of construction. This includes thermal insulation, measures for improving air tightness, and adding renewable energy systems and other heat sources. In 2009, the house was extended and retrofitted with super insulation – thermal insulation that is two to three times thicker than regularly used. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A modernist extension on a red brick traditional house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1112&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1112&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Christophers’ Zero Carbon House.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ljubomir Jankovic</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Three energy sources were installed: a photovoltaic system that converts the sun’s energy into electricity; a solar thermal system that uses the sun’s energy to heat and store water for domestic use; and a wood burning stove, run on fallen tree branches from the garden, which is used on a handful of days during the cold winter months. </p>
<p>The owner and architect of this house, John Christophers, did not have problems with poor workmanship during the retrofit. He avoided this by briefing the workforce on site before they started work and explaining the consequences of high quality work on building performance. Thanks to their superlative work, the house achieved a <a href="https://zerocarbonhousebirmingham.org.uk/technical/insulation-and-airtightness-technical/">record-breaking level of airtightness</a>, ten times lower than required by the UK’s building regulations.</p>
<p>In 2010, while I was installing scientific monitoring instruments in the house, a representative from a gas company showed up unannounced – they expected some wrongdoing, as the house had been disconnected from the gas supply and had never been reconnected. In fact, the gas supply was no longer required as the Christophers used electricity collected from the sun for cooking and fallen tree branches for heating.</p>
<p>On one cold winter’s night, when I brought my lab’s heat detecting camera to search for heat escaping from the house, the images it produced were almost completely dark – indicating minimum heat loss.</p>
<p>As early adopters of a Feed In Tariff when the house was retrofitted, the Christophers currently receive over £1,500 annually for electricity generation. Combined with the £4,200 they save annually in energy costs compared with a conventional house of the same geometry, they are £5,700 per year better off than living in a conventional home. </p>
<p>The return on investment of the Birmingham Zero Carbon House is 193% over the 25 years following the retrofit, and is forecast to make the owners just over £91,000 over that period. Christophers and his family are thrilled. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Living in the zero carbon house puts us more closely in touch with the rhythm of days and seasons: we’re very conscious of the abundance – or occasionally the precious scarcity – of solar hot water and electricity, and the quality of natural light. Even after 12 years, it still feels miraculous that it can be below freezing outside, yet warm inside and generating hot water at over 50°C while cooking on solar electricity.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A crane lowers down a wall and windows over an existing house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1120&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1120&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1120&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1407&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1407&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Installing external insulation in the retrofit project.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ljubomir Jankovic</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The benefits of living in efficient buildings are not just monetary or climate-related. They also impact on health and wellbeing. Emma*, who lives in a building I coordinated the retrofitting of in a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778818333395?via%3Dihub">different project</a>, told me: “I did not need heating when outside temperature dropped below freezing yesterday. The house feels like home now – no damp, no dust, no noise.” Cynthia*, who lived next door, said, “I have stopped using my asthma puffer.”</p>
<p>The last comment touched me deeply. This was the consequence of better internal conditions: no damp due to higher internal temperatures, and no dust due to filtering of air in the mechanical ventilation system. It was gratifying to see how much our work had transformed this person’s life. Retrofitting more of the UK’s buildings would not only drastically decrease the UK’s carbon emissions, but could also improve health across the population and put less pressure on the NHS.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Zero-Carbon-Buildings-Using-Dynamic-Simulation-Methods/Jankovic/p/book/9781138658318">We know</a> how to build or retrofit zero carbon houses – but we need to be doing a lot more of it. This is because big developers fear higher costs. This perception has resulted in zero carbon projects run as private and one-off initiatives.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-afford-to-just-build-greener-we-must-build-less-170570">We can't afford to just build greener. We must build less</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Today’s housing</h2>
<p>My team and I wanted to look more deeply into how today’s housing can be improved, over and above building regulations, and went into collaboration with a local council in Hertfordshire. We looked for a housing development that had received planning permission, but had not yet been constructed. We found a cluster of six family houses with planning approval to be built in accordance with UK building regulations, with no requirement for net zero performance.</p>
<p>We wanted to find out what it would take to redesign these houses in a way that would make them net zero houses. Crucially, we also wanted to include embodied emissions in this assessment – not only taking into account the energy usage of the house once built, but also the carbon costs of the building materials and the actual construction of the house. What, we wanted to know, does it take to build a house that doesn’t contribute to the climate crisis at all?</p>
<p>We used computer modelling to redesign these houses with improved thermal insulation, heat pumps and solar electricity panels. We then calculated the embodied emissions of all the conventional materials which went into building the houses using the materials from the original design. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.754733/full">We found</a> that the combined emissions – when balanced out by the excess renewable energy generated by the completed house – would not reach zero until 2065. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Blue architectural computer model of a building against green background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A computer model used in this research into embodied emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ljubomir Jankovic</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But we found that replacing the brick, concrete blocks and conventional insulation with hempcrete – a form of naturally grown hemp bonded with lime – drastically cut the home’s embodied emissions. <a href="https://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=325431">Hempcrete has negative embodied emissions</a>: -108 kg CO₂ per cubic metre. This is because the hemp crop absorbs more CO₂ as it grows than is released while making it into hempcrete. By making the switch to hempcrete, the starting embodied emissions of the homes were 83kg of CO₂ per square metre of floor area. That was much lower than the 161kg per square metre if the same building was made using conventional materials.</p>
<p>When combined with renewable energy systems, we calculated that the total emissions of this hempcrete building would reach zero by 2045. Hempcrete is of course not the only possible material – straw bale and timber construction and other bio-sourced materials also have the potential to reduce embodied emissions.</p>
<p>In addition to drastically ramping up the energy efficiency requirements for new builds, we should also urgently develop regulations for retrofitting existing houses. In 2050, 19.1 million of <a href="https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Housing_stock_/_building_stock">today’s homes</a>, some 80% of the current 23.9 million, <a href="https://www.politicshome.com/members/article/uk-needs-to-retrofit-26-million-homes-by-2050-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions">will still be in use</a>. And to retrofit 19.1 million homes to net zero operational emissions by 2050 we need to retrofit approximately 1,870 homes every day. This is simply not going to happen given the current scale of government pledges and the state of the construction industry.</p>
<p>Even if retrofitted to meet the best energy efficiency standards, these existing buildings will take some time to reach net zero once combined embodied and operational emissions are taken into account. This is even true of the Birmingham Zero Carbon House, which was retrofitted from a Victorian brick building. I calculated that it will reach embodied and operational emission net zero in 2030.</p>
<h2>Going forward</h2>
<p>I did some <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Zero-Carbon-Buildings-Using-Dynamic-Simulation-Methods/Jankovic/p/book/9781138658318">simple calculations</a> and found that the energy our planet receives from the sun in approximately one hour is sufficient to meet the world’s energy consumption requirements for an entire year. But we do not yet have the technology to take advantage of this. We need to scale up investment, research and development towards this goal. After all, it is often said that we <a href="https://theconversation.com/technologies-to-manage-climate-change-already-exist-but-uk-needs-to-scale-up-efforts-urgently-127150">already have</a> the tech to do this, it is just the willpower that’s missing.</p>
<p>Nothing should be off the table when it comes to bringing climate change under control. We need to tap into the vast amount of solar energy that literally goes over our heads while we continue to use fossil fuels. And we need to use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/297/1/012023">innovative financial models</a> to supplement conventional finance, which is always in short supply and not easy to secure.</p>
<p>Better education of architects, engineers and construction managers is required. Increased understanding of the ingredients of good building performance will lead to better choices of building materials and distribution of these materials. It will become more widely understood that excessively glazed buildings use excessive energy for heating and cooling, and that buildings built from photosynthetic materials, such as hempcrete, straw bale, and others are superlative.</p>
<p>Detailed modelling of buildings will be required, too. The cost of high-end building simulation <a href="https://www.bdcnetwork.com/energy-modeling-payback-typically-short-one-two-months">pays for itself</a> within two months of construction – so education and training programmes for building simulation professionals must be developed to empower them to design better buildings. And every building should be equipped with built-in sensors, to inform the user of its performance in real time. This is already a standard practice in cars, but buildings are much more expensive and use more energy.</p>
<p>Most property developers will always comply with the minimum required standard. But these regulations are sub par. My hopes for change grew ahead of an <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conservation-of-fuel-and-power-approved-document-l">update</a> to part of the UK Building Regulations last December. But my views after the update aligned with the “<a href="https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/architects-slam-extremely-disappointing-changes-to-energy-efficiency-regs?tkn=1">extremely disappointing</a>” verdict of the wider professional community. Policy after policy falls far short of what is needed to achieve net zero targets. These regulations urgently need to be improved – along with guidance for the retrofitting of existing buildings. And all of these measures will only lead to improvements if we increase the quality of workmanship. </p>
<p>The construction industry, then, needs a radical overhaul. Only then can we expect the industry to meet net zero. If not, it simply will not happen.</p>
<p><em>*Some of the names in this article have been changed to protect anonymity.</em></p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>For you: more from our <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Insights series</a>:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/oil-companies-are-ploughing-money-into-fossil-fuelled-plastics-production-at-a-record-rate-new-research-169690?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Oil companies are ploughing money into fossil-fuelled plastics production at a record rate – new research</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-my-20-years-in-afghanistan-taught-me-about-the-taliban-and-how-the-west-consistently-underestimates-them-167927?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">What my 20 years in Afghanistan taught me about the Taliban – and how the west consistently underestimates them</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-nothing-left-the-catastrophic-consequences-of-criminalising-livelihoods-in-west-africa-157454?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">‘We have nothing left’ – the catastrophic consequences of criminalising livelihoods in west Africa</a></em></p></li>
</ul>
<p><em>To hear about new Insights articles, join the hundreds of thousands of people who value The Conversation’s evidence-based news. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/the-daily-newsletter-2?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK"><strong>Subscribe to our newsletter</strong></a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171280/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ljubomir Jankovic received funding from EPSRC, EU, EUREKA, ARTEMIS, KTP, Innovate UK, Research England, and AHRC. </span></em></p>
We know how to build a truly zero carbon house. So why are we not doing it, on a massive scale?
Ljubomir Jankovic, Professor of Advanced Building Design, University of Hertfordshire
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/173476
2021-12-15T14:49:17Z
2021-12-15T14:49:17Z
If companies want net-zero carbon offices,
they need to focus on building materials
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437351/original/file-20211213-19-fi1vel.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An office building made with cross-laminated timber in Tokyo, Japan.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/harumi-tokyo-japan-april-22-2020-1711624732">(Shutterstock)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2020, the extraction, transport and manufacturing of materials for the building sector accounted for <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/2021-global-status-report-buildings-and-construction">10 per cent</a> of global greenhouse gas emissions. If buildings are to make meaningful contributions to keeping <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/11/cop26-jargon-buster">global temperature rise to 1.5 C</a> above pre-industrial levels, limiting emissions from building materials <a href="https://www.worldgbc.org/news-media/WorldGBC-embodied-carbon-report-published">is crucial</a>. </p>
<p>To achieve this objective, engineered versions of age-old building technologies, like wood, straw or bamboo, are critical. These bio-based building materials generally demand <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26212-z">less energy</a> in manufacturing and have the ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0462-4">capture and store carbon</a> through photosynthesis. </p>
<p>This is why experts in green building policy, climate science and architecture increasingly tout the benefits of transforming buildings from a giant source of carbon into a large <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-11/future-buildings-could-turn-cities-into-carbon-sinks">carbon sink</a>. </p>
<p>As scholars of business sustainability and bio-products markets, we closely observe the trends in green building and construction industries, and the reactions these provoke in sectors of the economy looking to cut emissions. With corporate announcements on the rise that publicize natural materials like wood as “the new concrete” in company offices and warehouses, we believe it’s time to take a closer look at the opportunities and limitations of making building materials part of a company’s net-zero carbon pledges. </p>
<h2>The rise of net-zero carbon offices</h2>
<p>The past two decades have seen the use of green buildings as an <a href="https://hbr.org/2006/06/building-the-green-way">explicit tool to reduce the carbon footprint of companies</a>. It is now commonplace for business offices to feature the latest in engineering and building operations, from energy efficiency and on-site heating and cooling, to waste reduction and recycling.</p>
<p>Bloomberg’s European headquarters, for instance, has earned the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/company/press/bloomberg-most-sustainable-office-building/">title of the world’s most sustainable office building</a> for combining all these measures. From a company perspective, going <a href="https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/net-zero-carbon-buildings-a-framework-definition/">beyond operational efficiency</a>, to also focus on building materials, is a logical step.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4_SA6mtXTcM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Bloomberg’s London HQ has the ‘most sustainable office building.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Walmart offers one prominent example of the use of bio-based building materials. The retail giant is set to finish its new home office in Bentonville, Ark., by 2025. It is the <a href="https://www.bdcnetwork.com/walmarts-new-home-office-largest-mass-timber-campus-project-us">largest corporate campus project in the U.S.</a> that uses mass timber, a group of large engineered structural wooden panels that have gained market acceptance following changes in <a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/industry-and-trade/forest-products-applications/mass-timber-construction-canada/23428">building codes</a>, for the construction of multi-storey and tall wood buildings.</p>
<p>Structurlam, a Canadian company that delivers mass timber, opened a fully automated facility in Walmart’s home state where it procures lumber from <a href="https://www.woodbusiness.ca/structurlam-expands-to-us-with-90m-arkansas-plant-in-the-works/">forests in the region</a> to complete the project. Similarly, <a href="https://sfyimby.com/2021/11/facade-rising-on-googles-first-sunnyvale-mass-timber-office-building-at-1265-borregas-avenue.html">Google</a> will soon finish its first mass timber office complex.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.archpaper.com/2020/02/wrns-studio-designs-largest-timber-project-in-north-america-microsoft/">Microsoft</a> already opened a building on its Silicon Valley campus that uses over 2,100 tonnes of cross-laminated timber (CLT), a wood panel system that is projected to reach a global market size of more than <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/06/24/2252306/0/en/Cross-Laminated-Timber-Market-to-reach-USD-3-562-6-Million-by-2027-Report-by-Market-Research-Future-MRFR.html">$3 billion</a> within the next five years. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1128403704837656576"}"></div></p>
<p>Some European firms like the German retail chain Alnatura are using <a href="https://www.detail-online.com/article/a-loam-structure-on-a-large-scale-alnatura-office-building-in-darmstadt-34849/">prefabricated loam</a> in their headquarters, and automaker BMW is about to open an electric vehicle showroom in California that has flooring made from <a href="https://www.hempbuildmag.com/home/us-hemp-buildingsummit">hemp wood</a>.</p>
<h2>Green construction meets prefab</h2>
<p>What unites these technologies is a potential to combine climate benefits with the <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2019/offsite-revolution-construction">shift</a> towards off-site construction and prefabrication, where the planning, design, manufacturing and partial assembly of building elements occurs at a location other than the final building site. </p>
<p>Many of the manufacturers that offer buildings made from bio-based materials are, in fact, a new class of <a href="https://tracxn.com/d/trending-themes/Startups-in-Modular-Housing">technology start-ups</a> that are <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/warren-buffett-to-offer-a-new-spin-on-modular-construction-11621339201">backed by large investors</a>. </p>
<p>Prefabrication helps optimize material use and model adaptive structures that can be deconstructed, modified and reassembled, thereby reducing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2021.100239">the need</a> for virgin resources. </p>
<p>This provides companies with immense flexibility in planning for the long-term use of their office buildings, sales stores, warehouses and factories, without having to think about demolishing a structure.</p>
<h2>Limitations of bio-based building material</h2>
<p>Bio-based building materials have their limitations. Harnessing their environmental potential requires that they are sourced from sustainable supply chains. From a climate perspective, building wooden office towers with timber <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abc5e6">can be counterproductive</a> if large amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted in the logging, transport and manufacture of wood products.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A harvester transporting logged woof from a forest area." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437577/original/file-20211214-19-2qun6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Logging, transporting and manufacturing wooden products could give rise to massive carbon dioxide emissions, making the process of creating wooden buildings counterproductive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A company may also ask <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-afford-to-just-build-greener-we-must-build-less-170570">whether new buildings are needed</a> in the first place. After all, the lowest carbon footprint is that of a building that is never constructed. </p>
<p>Companies may consider using bio-based building materials in retrofitting and remodelling existing offices or factories instead of building new ones. Serial retrofit initiatives, of the kind <a href="https://energiesprong.org/about/">spearheaded by governments in Europe</a> and <a href="https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/projects/2021/07/missing-sauce-for-retrofit-market-is-innovation-oriented-approach-report">suggested for Canada</a>, already funnel capital into the scale-up of industries for prefabricated building technologies, like facades made from <a href="https://tradewithestonia.com/news/berlin-solutions-from-estonia-for-serial-renovation-with-wood/">wood</a> and <a href="https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/old-into-new-recycled-bricks-form-facade-of-copenhagen-housing-project">recycled materials</a>.</p>
<p>Ultimately, as with all corporate environmental strategies, simply introducing bio-based products and materials to the company, be it in office buildings or elsewhere, <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/sustainability-teams-need-forestry-and-natural-resource-experts">without having resources in place</a> to monitor their environmental efficacy (for example, in procurement, installation and use) can backfire.</p>
<h2>The future of bio-based building materials</h2>
<p>Building materials can play a key role, when considered as a part of a broader strategy in companies’ efforts to reach net-zero emissions. Over <a href="https://www.gfanzero.com/press/amount-of-finance-committed-to-achieving-1-5c-now-at-scale-needed-to-deliver-the-transition/">450 firms around the world have already pledged</a> to finance the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. </p>
<p>The issue of materials in construction is gaining attention at the global scale as well. With <a href="https://buildingtocop.org/2021/11/19/building-ambition-high-level-diplomacy-at-cop26-and-the-built-environment/">more than 130 events</a> focused on the built environment at the COP26 summit in November, buildings <a href="https://theconversation.com/cop26-experts-react-to-the-un-climate-summit-and-glasgow-pact-171753">received more attention than ever</a>. </p>
<p>That being said, bio-based products and materials will require even more attention going forward. A likely bottleneck in assessing when and how to use bio-based building materials, will be just how quickly industries normalize the use of life cycle costing tools, such as <a href="https://www.wbcsd.org/Programs/Cities-and-Mobility/Sustainable-Cities/Transforming-the-Built-Environment/Decarbonization/news/Construction-industry-needs-whole-life-carbon-understanding-to-hit-net-zero-new-report-shows">whole life carbon</a> accounting. </p>
<p>Progress on the adoption of these tools has been slow, but the recent signing of <a href="https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/at-cop26-44-businesses-sign-net-zero-carbon-buildings-commitment_o">whole life carbon requirements</a> by 44 large companies offers hope that the time for net-zero carbon buildings may indeed be ripe.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173476/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meike Siegner is a founding committee member of the International Association for Mass Timber Construction, where she provides research expertise in areas pertaining to environmental social governance (ESG) and forest sector sustainability. She does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company that would benefit from this article.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cory Searcy receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). He does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond his academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As more companies feature wood and other bio-based products in their offices, what are opportunities and limitations of making corporate net-zero carbon pledges about building materials?
Meike Siegner, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University
Cory Searcy, Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, & Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/164998
2021-07-29T11:55:15Z
2021-07-29T11:55:15Z
Hurricane straps keep roofs on houses and can improve safety during tornadoes
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412950/original/file-20210724-21-1oss3o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C0%2C5184%2C3437&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some of the worst damage from the EF-2 tornado that struck the Ontario city of Barrie on July 15.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Northern Tornadoes Project)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many people think of a well-built house as one where the walls are strong enough to hold up the roof so it won’t fall on them. This is reinforced by children’s stories like the <a href="https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/the-three-little-pigs">Three Little Pigs</a>, where the house made of brick is the strongest when the Big Bad Wolf comes to town. </p>
<p>When a strong tornado passes through a neighbourhood, it results in total chaos. Debris is everywhere. Shingles and siding and bricks are thrown about. Entire roofs are tossed, often landing on neighbouring homes. Walls collapse, cars are rolled and flipped. Insulation is stuck to every surface like a strange snowfall. </p>
<p>On July 15, a tornado struck Barrie, Ont., destroying several homes: Could anything have been done to minimize the damage in Barrie?</p>
<h2>Holding on to the roof</h2>
<p>In any windstorm, tornadoes included, the roof needs to be secured — this is due to the uplift, the same physics that allows an aircraft to fly. This runs counter to our intuition since we tend to think about roofs collapsing, not flying. The uplift is the main vulnerability of houses. The structure of residential roofs in Canada tend to be strong because they are designed to handle the heavy weight of snow in winter. </p>
<p>For the wind, which acts in the opposite direction as the snow, it is the nails connecting the trusses to the top of the wall that become critical to ensure that the roof stays in place during a severe storm.</p>
<p>The National Building Code of Canada requires <a href="http://www.buildingcode.online/1819.html">three nails — just over three inches long — in each roof-to-wall connection</a>. These toe nails, as they are called, are what hold the roof down in the wind. If this is done properly, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1061/AJRUA6.0000916">the roof structure should be safe until wind speeds reach about 160 kilometres an hour</a>. At such wind speeds, asphalt shingles may blow off but the roof structure will remain intact.</p>
<p>Houses are not designed for tornadoes, although the building code discusses tornadoes. The requirements for fastening the walls to the foundations were developed to deal with tornadoes. These were included in the 1995 release of the National Building Code following tragic deaths in 1984 <a href="https://doi.org/10.4224/40000493">when cottages were swept into Blue Sea Lake in Québec</a>, along with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2020.00099">post-storm observations following a 1985 tornado in Barrie</a>. </p>
<p>It is now known that toe-nailed connections are the weak links in the structure, more likely to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0000914">fail before the roof sheathing</a> and before the walls pull apart from the foundation. Walls are more likely to collapse when the roof is gone, and the roof itself can become airborne. Both of these are threats to life and safety.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://uwo.ca/ntp/">Northern Tornadoes Project</a> survey in the immediate aftermath of the recent tornado in Barrie indicated that several homes did not meet the building code requirements because of missing toe nails. </p>
<p>This is nothing new. </p>
<p>Similar observations were made in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2013-0570">2009, when tornadoes landed in Vaughan</a>, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2016-0232">and in 2014 in Angus</a>.</p>
<h2>Unknown speeds</h2>
<p>To design for tornadoes, we need to know the wind speeds in tornadoes. These are rarely measured. Rather, tornado wind speeds are assessed through the damage they cause, <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/seasonal-weather-hazards/enhanced-fujita-scale-wind-damage.html">via the Enhanced Fujita Scale</a>. </p>
<p>The recent Barrie tornado was assessed to have had maximum wind speeds of 210 kilometres an hour based on the damage to a few of the houses. It was a strong tornado. However, if this strong tornado had instead gone through farmers’ fields, missing all buildings and trees, then it would have been assessed as an EF-0 (90-130 km/hr) tornado even though its true strength was greater. Clearly, the use of damage to estimate the tornado wind speeds is challenging, particularly in sparsely populated areas. </p>
<p>As a result, the reported intensity of a tornado — its maximum wind speed — depends on what it hits and, therefore, on the quality of construction. A roof with only a single toe nail would be <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/seasonal-weather-hazards/publications/enhanced-fujita-scale-damage-indicators/chapter-2.html">assessed as EF-1, while properly installed toe nails yield an expected wind speed of about 195 kilometres an hour, which is EF-2</a>. </p>
<p>Put another way, a wood-frame roof is expected to fail in an EF-2 tornado, while improper toe nails would lead to roof failure in an EF-1 tornado. As a result of this uncertainty, quantifying wind speeds in tornadoes is still <a href="https://ams.confex.com/ams/29SLS/webprogram/Paper348726.html">an active topic of research and development</a>. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2020.104269">combination of tornado simulators</a>, wind tunnels that create tornado vortices to define the wind forces on buildings, and full-scale laboratory tests on houses to determine their strength has helped. They’ve provided good estimates of failure-inducing wind speeds during tornadoes under a range of conditions including that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2016-0232">of the roof-to-wall connections</a>.</p>
<p>Could anything have been done to mitigate the damage in this EF-2 tornado? In any tornado, the highest wind speeds only occur over <a href="https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-14-00032.1">a relatively small proportion of the total damage path</a>. That means damage reduction measures can be quite effective in mitigating damage from the overall storm. </p>
<p>If all of the houses in Barrie had been built to the building code requirements, there would have been less damage overall, although there still would have been some significant damage because of its intensity.</p>
<h2>Strapping down</h2>
<p>There is a better solution: the use of hurricane straps instead of toe nails. This well-established technology, developed to deal with hurricanes, can work to keep the roof attached to the walls in <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2020.00099">tornadoes with wind speeds up to about EF-2</a>. They are inexpensive, costing less than $200 per house to install, and are easy to inspect for compliance. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OkC22tFD07U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Hurricane straps are a more efficient and safer replacement.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since EF-2 and lower-rated tornadoes represent more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0012.1">than 95 per cent of all tornadoes</a>, requiring straps in the building code could reduce much of the damage of these severe storms and and significantly improve safety.</p>
<p>While a few other things need to be done to make houses fully able to <a href="https://www.iclr.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ICLR-Western-SCC-Increasing-High-Wind-Safety-2019_EN.pdf">withstand EF-2 tornadoes</a>, this adjustment would eliminate the weakest link, increasing resilience and safety by keeping the roof on the walls and stopping entire roofs from flying downwind and hitting other buildings.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164998/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Kopp receives funding from NSERC, ImpactWX, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, Structural Engineering Institute, Metal Building Manufacturers Association, Western University.</span></em></p>
Current building codes do not include the most efficient way to keep houses standing and intact during tornadoes.
Gregory Kopp, Professor of Civil Engineering & ImpactWX Chair of Severe Storms Engineering, Western University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/152544
2021-02-14T17:58:03Z
2021-02-14T17:58:03Z
Bendable concrete and other CO2-infused cement mixes could dramatically cut global emissions
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379809/original/file-20210120-21-1gavykm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6644%2C4422&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bendable concrete created at the University of Michigan allows for thinner structures with less need for steel reinforcement. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.globalco2initiative.org/research/bendable-concrete/">Joseph Xu/University of Michigan College of Engineering</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the big contributors to climate change is right beneath your feet, and transforming it could be a powerful solution for keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.</p>
<p>The production of cement, the binding element in concrete, <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/cement">accounted for 7% of total global carbon dioxide emissions</a> in 2018. Concrete is one of the most-used resources on Earth, with an estimated <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2020/mcs2020-cement.pdf">26 billion tons produced annually</a> worldwide. That production isn’t expected to slow down for at least two more decades.</p>
<p>Given the scale of the industry and its greenhouse gas emissions, technologies that can reinvent concrete could have profound impacts on climate change. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EcnJeAsAAAAJ&hl=en">engineers</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YDSZ8pYAAAAJ&hl=en">working</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=e_YKH_oAAAAJ&hl=en">on issues</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7SBLujMAAAAJ&hl=en">involving</a> infrastructure and construction, we have been designing the next generation of concrete technology that can reduce infrastructure’s carbon footprint and increase durability. That includes CO2-infused concrete that locks up the greenhouse gas and can be stronger and even bendable. </p>
<p>The industry is ripe for dramatic change, particularly with the Biden administration promising to <a href="https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/">invest big in infrastructure</a> projects and <a href="https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/">cut U.S. emissions</a> at the same time. However, to put CO2 to work in concrete on a wide scale in a way that drastically cuts emissions, all of its related emissions must be taken into account.</p>
<h2>Rethinking concrete</h2>
<p>Concrete is made up of aggregate materials – primarily rocks and sand – along with cement and water.</p>
<p>Because about <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/chemicals/our-insights/laying-the-foundation-for-zero-carbon-cement">80% of concrete’s carbon footprint comes from cement</a>, researchers have been working to find substitute materials.</p>
<p>Industrial byproducts such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2017.06.012">iron slag</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2010.12.001">coal fly ash</a> are now frequently used to reduce the amount of cement needed. The resulting concrete can have significantly lower emissions because of that change. Alternative binders, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2017.08.017">limestone calcined clay</a>, can also reduce cement use. One study found that using limestone and calcinated clay could reduce emissions by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.deveng.2017.06.001">at least 20%</a> while also cutting production costs. </p>
<p>Apart from developing blended cements, researchers and companies are focusing on ways to use captured CO2 as an ingredient in the concrete itself, locking it away and preventing it from entering the atmosphere. CO2 can be added in the form of aggregates – or injected during mixing. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2017.07.003">Carbonation curing</a>, also known as CO2 curing, can also be used after concrete has been cast.</p>
<p>These processes turn CO2 from a gas to a mineral, creating solid carbonates that may also improve the strength of concrete. That means structures may need less cement, <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q1/new-mix-could-double-concretes-carbon-uptake.html">reducing the amount</a> of related emissions. Companies such as <a href="https://www.carboncure.com/">CarbonCure</a> and <a href="https://www.solidiatech.com/">Solidia</a> have developed technologies to use these processes for concrete poured at construction sites and in precast concrete, such as cinder blocks and other construction materials.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Illustration of CO2 storage possibilities in concrete" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383835/original/file-20210211-18-qvfj47.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Carbon dioxide can make up a significant percentage of concrete mass.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://lowcarbonfuture.umich.edu/">Lucca Henrion/University of Michigan</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="The Kitahama building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382547/original/file-20210204-20-1igfogp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Kitahama building, the tallest residential tower in Japan, is built with bendable concrete for earthquake resistance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">MC681/Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the University of Michigan, <a href="https://lowcarbonfuture.umich.edu/">we are working on</a> composites that produce a <a href="https://theconversation.com/bendable-concrete-with-a-design-inspired-by-seashells-can-make-us-infrastructure-safer-and-more-durable-93621">bendable concrete material</a> that allows thinner, less brittle structures that require less steel reinforcement, further reducing related carbon emissions. The material can be engineered to maximize the amount of CO2 it can store by using smaller particles that readily react with CO2, turning it to mineral. </p>
<p>The CO2-based bendable concrete can be used for general buildings, water and energy infrastructure, as well as transportation infrastructure. Bendable concrete was used in the 61-story Kitahama tower in Osaka, Japan, and <a href="https://www.urbanlab.umich.edu/project/bendable-concrete-utilized-on-a-bridge-deck-engineered-cementitious-composite-or-ecc/">roadway bridge slabs</a> in Ypsilanti, Michigan.</p>
<h2>The challenge of lifecycle emissions</h2>
<p>These cutting-edge technologies can start addressing concrete infrastructure’s carbon footprint, but barriers still exist.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21148-w">study published in 2021</a>, three of us looked at the lifecycle emissions from infusing CO2 into concrete and found that estimates did not always account for emissions from CO2 capture, transportation and use. With colleagues, we came up with strategies for ensuring that carbon curing has a strong emissions benefit.</p>
<p>Overall, we recommend developing a standard CO2 curing protocol. Lab experiments show that CO2 curing can improve concrete’s strength and durability, but results vary with specific curing procedures and concrete mixes. Research can improve the conditions and the timing of steps in the curing process to increase concrete’s performance. Electricity use – the largest emissions source during curing – can also be reduced by streamlining the process and possibly by using waste heat.</p>
<p>Advanced concrete mixes, bendable concrete in particular, already begin to address these issues by increasing durability.</p>
<h2>Merging infrastructure and climate policy</h2>
<p>In 2020, a wide <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/09/22/climate-clock-week/">range of companies</a> announced steps to reduce their emissions. However, government investment and procurement policies are still needed to transform the construction industry.</p>
<p>Local governments are taking the first steps. “Low embodied carbon concrete” rules and projects to reduce the amount of cement in concrete have cropped up around the country, including in <a href="https://www.marincounty.org/depts/cd/divisions/sustainability/low-carbon-concrete-project">Marin County, California</a>; <a href="https://www.hastingsgov.org/climate-smart-communities-task-force/pages/low-embodied-carbon-concrete-resources">Hastings-on-Hudson, New York</a>; and a <a href="https://www.portland.gov/omf/brfs/procurement/sustainable-procurement-program/sp-initiatives">sidewalk pilot in Portland, Oregon</a>.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s8965">New York</a> and <a href="https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2020/Bills/A9999/5223_I1.HTM">New Jersey</a>, lawmakers have proposed state-level policies that would provide price discounts in the bidding process to proposals with the lowest emissions from concrete. These policies could serve as a blueprint for reducing carbon emissions from concrete production and other building materials.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Degraded concrete and exposed rebar on a bridge" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380058/original/file-20210121-23-1j7s3pt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A lot of North American infrastructure is in a state of disrepair.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_degradation#/media/File:Qew_bruecke_nf_beton_kaputt_34_von_46.jpg">Achim Herring/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nationally, the <a href="https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/the-impact/failure-to-act-report/">crumbling of federally managed infrastructure</a> has been a steadily growing crisis. The Biden administration has tried to address those problems, as well as climate change, and create jobs through a strategic infrastructure program.</p>
<p>Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg declared in 2021 that there were “<a href="https://twitter.com/petebuttigieg/status/1347977424898822149">enormous opportunities</a> for job creation, equity and climate achievement when it comes to advancing America’s infrastructure.” Policies that elevate low-carbon concrete to a nationwide climate solution could follow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152544/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucca Henrion works as a research fellow in the Global CO2 Initiative at the University of Michigan. He is a volunteer with the Open Air Collective. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victor C. Li receives research funding from the Department of Energy (ARPA-E) and the Aramco Company. He is the James R. Rice Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Professor Li directs the Center for Low Carbon Built Environment (CLCBE) at the University of Michigan.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Volker Sick receives funding from the US Department of Energy and the Global CO2 Initiative at the University of Michigan. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Duo Zhang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Researchers are developing ways to lock captured CO2 into cement. It could help rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure and deal with climate change at the same time.
Lucca Henrion, Research Fellow at the Global CO2 Initiative, University of Michigan
Duo Zhang, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan
Victor C. Li, James R. Rice Distinguished University Professor of Engineering, University of Michigan
Volker Sick, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; DTE Energy Professor of Advanced Energy Research; and Director, Global CO2 Initiative, University of Michigan
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/154981
2021-02-10T11:05:35Z
2021-02-10T11:05:35Z
Transparent wood is coming, and it could make an energy-efficient alternative to glass
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383275/original/file-20210209-21-13uxgyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=73%2C30%2C3854%2C3214&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Glass windows like these could be replaced with wood.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/view-through-window-cottage-into-snowcovered-1567864882">Shutterstock/Visions-AD</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wood is an ancient material humans have been using for millions of years, for the construction of housing, ships and as a source of fuel for burning. It’s also a renewable source, and one way to capture excess carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. Today, the main component of wood - cellulose – is produced annually at <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746563/">20 times the volume of steel.</a></p>
<p>One thing you wouldn’t use wood for is making windows. Instead we rely on glass and plastic, which are transparent and, when toughened, can give structural support. But buildings lose a lot of heat through glass, and while light can bring some heat through the material, it’s not a good insulator. This is why we need double glazing. Wood, on the other hand, is highly insulating but it’s not transparent. Usually.</p>
<p>In recent years, materials scientists have been experimenting with making wood transparent. Making wood see-through, and retaining its high mechanical properties, would provide a good alternative to glass from a sustainable and renewable source. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adom.201800059">Previous methods</a> of doing this were highly energy intensive and used harmful chemicals, but <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/5/eabd7342">a new study</a> has shown a way to make wood transparent without using huge amounts of energy in the process.</p>
<h2>Seeing through wood</h2>
<p>Wood’s lack of transparency comes from the combination of its two main components, cellulose and lignin. The lignin absorbs light, and the presence of chromophores – light activated compounds – in the material makes the wood look brown. The fibres in the wood, which mainly comprise cellulose, are hollow tube-like structures. The air in these hollow tubes scatters light, further reducing the material’s transparency.</p>
<p>Previous work on making wood transparent has involved <a href="https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cssc.201701089">removing the lignin</a> completely from the structure and replacing it with a resin material. The removal of lignin requires a lot of environmentally harmful chemicals, and it also considerably reduces <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2017.0182">the mechanical properties</a> of the material. makes it weaker. </p>
<p>The new study, by researchers at the University of Maryland, demonstrates how to make wood transparent using a simple chemical – hydrogen peroxide – commonly used to bleach hair. This chemical modifies the chromophores, changing their structure so they no longer act to absorb light and colour the wood.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sunny pine forest with logs in the foreground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/383279/original/file-20210209-23-1ttdei1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Removing a component of wood, called lignin, can make it see-through.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/forest-pine-spruce-trees-log-trunks-1552199918">Shutterstock/Krasula</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The chemical can be brushed onto the wood, and then activated using light to produce a brilliant white material – blond wood if you like. The chemical reaction of wood with hydrogen peroxide is well known. It’s the basis for bleaching wood pulp used for paper making – one of the reasons why paper is brilliant white. </p>
<p>The other reason paper is white is because pores or holes in its structure scatter light, just like the hollow cellulose fibres in wood. Filling these fibres with resin reduces that scattering, allowing light to pass through the wood and making it transparent, while retaining its original mechanical properties.</p>
<h2>Wooden windows</h2>
<p>This is a very exciting development that uses well-known chemical reactions of hydrogen peroxide with lignin. The approach could also be applied to large pieces of material, leading to production of transparent building materials offering a real potential to replace glass. </p>
<p>Because the chemical is brushed onto the wood, there might be opportunities for decorative effects to be added to the material. This could make panels of material popular for indoor applications, while also offering additional insulation.</p>
<p>Further work needs to be done to optimise the reaction with wood, and to incorporate it into an industrially automated process. But one day, in the future, you might be sitting in a home or working in a building with wooden windows.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154981/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Eichhorn receives funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.</span></em></p>
Treating wood with bleach can make it transparent.
Steve Eichhorn, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Bristol
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/152439
2021-01-08T16:11:17Z
2021-01-08T16:11:17Z
After a record 22 ‘billion dollar disasters’ in 2020, it’s time to overhaul US disaster policy – here’s how
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377619/original/file-20210107-20-rwbimv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=61%2C132%2C3017%2C1895&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In a year tied for the warmest on record globally, the U.S. was hit with costly hurricanes, wildfires, storms and drought.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ClimateDryAndWet/d8b2a0200ec141a78a4ee1609cea8cc1/photo">AP Photo/Noah Berger and Gerald Herbert</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The year 2020 broke disaster records across the country in destructive and expensive ways. The Atlantic had so many hurricanes, meteorologists <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-was-a-record-breaker-and-its-raising-more-concerns-about-climate-change-150495">ran out of tropical storm names</a> for only the second time. Across the Midwest, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/derecho-wind-storm-iowa/">extreme storms</a> flattened crops and tore up buildings. Western states repeatedly <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-year-the-west-was-burning-how-the-2020-wildfire-season-got-so-extreme-148804">broke records for their largest wildfires</a> on record. Globally, it was tied for the <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2020-warmest-year-record-europe-globally-2020-ties-2016-warmest-year-recorded">hottest year on record</a>.</p>
<p>All told, in 2020 the U.S. had <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions">22 climate and weather disasters</a> with losses exceeding US$1 billion each, six more than any previous year. Together they cost over $95 billion, NOAA announced on Jan. 8. Such disasters affect millions of Americans and are particularly devastating for <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/dtac/srb-low-ses_2.pdf">low-income communities and communities of color</a>. They destroy homes, schools and businesses. They put lives at risk. </p>
<p>Families, communities and taxpayers are paying the price, yet many of these losses could be avoided with smart policies. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of disasters" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377824/original/file-20210108-19-8lv24w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">NOAA’s billion-dollar disaster list for 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/beyond-data/2020-us-billion-dollar-weather-and-climate-disasters-historical">NOAA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, the National Institute of Building Sciences estimates that updating and improving building codes alone could <a href="https://www.nibs.org/page/mitigationsaves">save $4 for every $1 spent</a> and create 87,000 new jobs. Similarly, reforming land use and zoning rules can help avoid putting families at risk. An estimated 41 million Americans currently live in homes at risk of flooding and millions more are at risk from wildfires.</p>
<p>And yet, these actions are rarely taken. Local governments – which have authority over zoning and building codes – have a strong financial <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102658">incentive to keep on building</a>, even in risky places. The federal government – which has the greatest financial incentive to prevent damage before it occurs – has little to no authority over building codes or land use.</p>
<p>Federal policy can, however, incentivize local governments to use their authority to reduce risk. A new federal administration that is attuned to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/bidens-climate-change-plans-can-quickly-raise-the-bar-but-can-they-be-transformative-149355">growing risks created by global warming</a> could take advantage of that influence. </p>
<p>We are <a href="https://cee.umd.edu/clark/faculty/1215/Deb-Niemeier">disaster scientists</a> – <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aBnjtfIAAAAJ&hl=en">engineers and</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ltE7LXtzkYUC&hl=en">policy researchers</a> who study how to prevent or reduce disasters. We recently published suggestions for how the new administration can <a href="https://www.dayoneproject.org/post/eliminate-billion-dollar-disasters-equitable-science-based-disaster-policy-for-a-resilient-future">reform U.S. disaster policy</a>. If done right, modern disaster policy would endorse development that accounts for risk, promote climate-proof investments in infrastructure, advance social justice and protect society’s most vulnerable populations. </p>
<p>Here are four key reforms that could get bipartisan support, reduce federal spending and protect American lives. </p>
<h2>Get a better grip on how disaster money is spent</h2>
<p>Without careful oversight, disaster funds can end up being spent on ineffective projects or not spent at all. </p>
<p>For example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is a major source of disaster funding, but the precise amount it spends and how has sometimes been a mystery. Following the hurricanes of 2017 and 2018, HUD received more disaster funding to distribute than any other agency, but by 2019 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/climate/federal-hurricane-wildfire-disaster-funds-unspent.html">less than 1%</a> <a href="https://recovery.fema.gov/state-profiles">had been spent</a>. It took more than two years for HUD to approve disaster relief spending after the <a href="https://www.governing.com/now/State-Gets-1-3B-in-Wildfire-Relief-While-Victims-Get-Nothing.html">2018 California fires</a>. The Government Accountability Office concluded that <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/697827.pdf">HUD needed better oversight</a> of how funds are spent and more staff, and the <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45484/25">Congressional Research Office</a> has suggested that Congress may wish to consider limits on federal disaster relief spending. </p>
<p><iframe id="0xTDx" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0xTDx/5/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Disaster spending is <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2018/06/19/what-we-dont-know-about-state-spending-on-natural-disasters-could-cost-us">notoriously difficult to track</a> because, although the Federal Emergency Management Agency is the nation’s central disaster authority, almost every federal agency administers some level of disaster funding and disaster funds are often mixed with other programs. This all makes it difficult to hold agencies accountable. </p>
<p>That said, increased oversight, including audits by the GAO, improved record-keeping, <a href="https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema">making records publicly accessible</a> and consistently measuring whether funded projects build resilience could help turn this around.</p>
<h2>Get everyone on the same page</h2>
<p>Reducing risk often requires the work of multiple federal agencies, but if agency actions are not coordinated, they can create complications, duplications and waste. </p>
<p>For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is building a seawall on New York’s Staten Island based on a calculation that the wall would protect homes – but some of those homes have <a href="https://ny.curbed.com/2019/4/25/18515213/staten-island-usace-seawall-climate-change-photo-essay">since been removed by a FEMA and HUD project</a>. </p>
<p>FEMA and HUD both fund property acquisitions to support flood risk reduction, but their funding programs work on different timelines, which can complicate local officials’ efforts.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Sumant Joshi helps to clean up rubble at the East End United Methodist Church after it was heavily damaged by storms in Nashville." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377592/original/file-20210107-16-1ddexfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deadly tornadoes hit Nashville and other parts of Tennessee in March 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/YETopStoriesTennessee/5ff145b625844b44843c9de07ad4e63e/photo">AP Photo/Mark Humphrey</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Numerous other agencies are also involved in risk reduction and recovery. The Small Business Administration gives out loans. The Department of Education funds the reopening of schools. The Department of Transportation funds repairs for roads and bridges. The efforts of these agencies and more need to be coordinated to build resilient communities.</p>
<p>The new administration could order interagency task forces to define clear roles for each agency, establish methods for coordination, and create long-term plans for national resilience. </p>
<h2>Change state and local government incentives</h2>
<p>State and local governments might be more inclined to take steps to protect communities from disasters if they had to pay for a larger share of the aftermath. </p>
<p>When public buildings and infrastructure are damaged in a disaster, the federal government will pay for 75% of the recovery cost if the damage exceeds a <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-12-14/pdf/2020-27094.pdf">certain threshold</a>. The idea is for federal assistance to kick in when state and local governments are overwhelmed. However, that threshold is just $1 million plus $1.55 per person in the state – an extremely low threshold.</p>
<p>FEMA is attempting to <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-12-14/pdf/2020-27094.pdf">raise these thresholds</a>, but the increase may not go far enough and is unlikely to be sufficient on its own. </p>
<p>In 2016, FEMA proposed a “<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/01/12/2017-00467/establishing-a-deductible-for-femas-public-assistance-program">disaster deductible</a>” that would make states responsible for a deductible, between $1 million and $53 million, proportional to their hazard risk and resources before federal money would become available. States could earn credits to reduce their deductible by taking risk reduction measures like enforcing building codes or investing in insurance or emergency management programs – just like a safe driver discount for taking a safe driving course. Without leadership, the program lost momentum, but the new administration could improve disaster policy by revisiting this idea. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Homes that burned in California." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376876/original/file-20210101-17-1rbbac7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rising temperatures have contributed to worsening wildfire conditions in the West. California and Colorado both saw their largest fires on record in 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Deb Niemeier</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Local communities could also be encouraged to reduce their risks if Congress amended the National Flood Insurance Program. The program is bankrupt because its rates are too low to cover its costs and <a href="https://www.gao.gov/highrisk/national_flood_insurance/why_did_study#t=1">not enough people are participating</a>. </p>
<p>Reforming this program will not be easy. If insurance rates rise, low-income residents won’t be able to afford insurance or may choose not to carry it at all, leaving them even more vulnerable to the next flood. Congress knows the program is struggling, which is why instead of reauthorizing it permanently, the program has been temporarily <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/IN10835.pdf">reauthorized 16 times</a> over the last three years. </p>
<p>In essence, this kicks the problem down the road without solving it. Instead, the new administration could prioritize finding a long-term solution.</p>
<h2>Put the focus on people</h2>
<p>Disaster funding increases the gap between rich and poor because it seeks to make people “whole” – to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spy016">replace what they had before the disaster</a>. Those who had more get more help; those who had less get less. This, despite the fact that wealthy people are more likely to have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/05/688786177/how-federal-disaster-money-favors-the-rich">assets they can draw on to recover</a>, like a job with paid leave and savings to afford safe temporary housing. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Latasha Myles and Howard Anderson stand in the living room where they were sitting when the roof blew off" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377596/original/file-20210107-21-13zd5q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many Louisiana residents tried to ride out 2020’s Hurricane Laura, one of the most powerful storms to strike the U.S. Two months later, Hurricane Delta hit the same area.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/latasha-myles-and-howard-anderson-stand-in-their-living-news-photo/1269125409">Joe Raedle/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Disaster response needs to take historic injustice into account. </p>
<p>A community that has faced disinvestment, redlining or other forms of injustice often has infrastructure that is more vulnerable to hazards and needs additional support, not less. Ten percent of <a href="https://furmancenter.org/files/NYUFurmanCenter_HousingInTheFloodplain_May2017.pdf">government-subsidized housing is in floodplains</a>, which puts the residents at greater risk. Addressing underlying vulnerabilities will require coordination among numerous federal agencies and state and local governments. </p>
<p>Achieving effective disaster policy will not be simple. The work begins with Congress and the president making disaster reform a top priority. An executive order in the first 100 days that mandates coordination, reform and consideration of climate change and social equity would be a good first step toward a safer, more resilient nation. </p>
<p><em>This article has been updated with the total cost of the 22 disasters that exceeded $1 billion each.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152439/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>A.R. Siders' work on resilience has been funded by NASA and The Nature Conservancy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Allison Reilly's work on resilience has been funded by the National Academies of Science Gulf Research Program and the U.S. Geological Survey. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deb Niemeier does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
NOAA released its list of climate and weather disasters that cost the nation more than $1 billion each. Like many climate and weather events this past year, it shattered the record.
A.R. Siders, Assistant Professor, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware
Allison Reilly, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland
Deb Niemeier, Clark Distinguished Chair and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/147455
2020-11-10T19:01:39Z
2020-11-10T19:01:39Z
A third of our waste comes from buildings. This one’s designed for reuse and cuts emissions by 88%
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368204/original/file-20201109-21-1pqcis4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4031%2C2667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Roberto Minunno</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Designing buildings so they can easily be taken apart and the materials reused provides a feasible and commercial pathway for minimising waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104855">research</a> shows one such Curtin University building, the <a href="http://l3.curtin.edu.au">Legacy Living Lab</a> in Fremantle, reduces construction waste and cuts emissions to almost a tenth of what a conventional building process would produce. </p>
<p>The modular, <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-circular-economy-23298">circular economy</a> building produces benefits in all six environmental indicators we assessed. It’s part of <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/8/9/125">our vision</a> for the <a href="https://www.climateworksaustralia.org/resource/decarbonisation-futures-buildings/">decarbonisation of buildings</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hf8SBkBfzCs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Legacy Living Lab is proof that designing buildings for disassembly and reuse greatly reduces their environmental impacts.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/buildings-produce-25-of-australias-emissions-what-will-it-take-to-make-them-green-and-wholl-pay-105652">Buildings produce 25% of Australia's emissions. What will it take to make them 'green' – and who'll pay?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Learning from nature</h2>
<p>Natural biogeochemical cycles create little or no waste. These circular cycles eventually transform used material into a new resource. For example, through the nutrient cycle a fallen leaf provides the building blocks for future leaves. </p>
<p>It’s simple and beautiful. The opposite of a linear model of “take, make, dispose”. It’s complex and ugly. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, this is the model industrialised society has adopted. And not only for our coffee pods, which mostly <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/most-nespresso-coffee-pods-not-being-recycled/11708910">end up in landfill</a>, but also for most commercial and residential buildings. </p>
<p>The building industry consumes about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.06.001">50% of mineral resources and produces about 35% of waste</a>. It’s a <a href="https://theconversation.com/buildings-produce-25-of-australias-emissions-what-will-it-take-to-make-them-green-and-wholl-pay-105652">major source</a> of global greenhouse gas emissions. What, then, can be done?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="steel frames of a building under construction" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368422/original/file-20201109-14-lqujzi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The reuse of steel frames for building saves costs and reduces resource consumption and emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-create-20m-tons-of-construction-industry-waste-each-year-heres-how-to-stop-it-going-to-landfill-114602">We create 20m tons of construction industry waste each year. Here's how to stop it going to landfill</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Rethinking ‘downward spiral’ recycling</h2>
<p>The answer lies in revisiting the basics of our recycling practices. Since the late 1990s, recycling has been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652615012287">considered an environmental solution</a>, with recycling bins popping up everywhere. However, researchers and consumers alike have begun to realise recycling often comes down to mere “<a href="https://theconversation.com/recycling-isnt-enough-the-worlds-plastic-pollution-crisis-is-only-getting-worse-144175">wishcycling</a>”. <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782">Less than 10% of plastics</a> is actually being recycled.</p>
<p>Reprocessing is considered the best way to keep materials in use, particularly for artefacts like coffee cups or microchips. However, for many other products, such as building materials, recycling often translates into less than helpful down-cycling. </p>
<p>Even seemingly environmentally benign material, such as timber, often cannot be recycled. Rather, it is remanufactured into products of lower economic value and quality. The material is in a downward spiral that only delays its disposal to landfill.</p>
<p>Clearly, it is much better for the environment if we can find ways to reuse products. Indeed, there are “<a href="https://theconversation.com/avoiding-single-use-plastic-was-becoming-normal-until-coronavirus-heres-how-we-can-return-to-good-habits-140555">reusable alternatives for almost everything</a>: beeswax or silicone food wraps, reusable coffee pods, shampoo and conditioner bars, reusable safety razors and bars of soap, rather than liquid soap”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-the-right-tools-we-can-mine-cities-87672">With the right tools, we can mine cities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Applying reuse principles to buildings</h2>
<p>Can this reuse practice be adopted for buildings too? After all, a building is a sophisticated and complex product compared to coffee pods or cling wrap. </p>
<p>Researchers from Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute put this question to the test by building a modular, reusable laboratory. It’s a place where researchers, builders and citizens alike can meet to prototype and study new products. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="interior of building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368424/original/file-20201109-14-1qalx88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Legacy Living Lab is a highly functional building that can be taken apart and reused elsewhere within a matter of days.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="http://l3.curtin.edu.au">Legacy Living Lab</a> (L3) is a highly functional, state-of-the-art building with offices and space for collaboration. Yet it can be taken apart – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.485">deconstructed or disassembled</a> – moved and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104855">reused anywhere within weeks</a>. </p>
<p>Findings from studying the environmental impact of this facility point towards a resounding yes to the question of whether reuse practices can be adopted for buildings. The in-built reuse practices of the L3 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104855">save 18 tonnes of construction materials</a> from disposal compared to common building industry practices. This leads to an 88% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>So how was this done? Simply, by choosing reused steel frames, opting for steel foundations instead of concrete, and designing internal wall cladding that’s easily disassembled. This makes it almost as easy to take the building apart as your average Lego spaceship.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="wall cladding" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368419/original/file-20201109-24-kng7ia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The internal wall cladding is designed to be easily taken apart.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-cement-a-step-closer-to-being-a-game-changer-for-construction-emissions-126033">Green cement a step closer to being a game-changer for construction emissions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When the time comes to decommission the building, it can be deconstructed as eight modules. These can be moved to the next site for reuse rather than being demolished.</p>
<p>Modular buildings are made of box-shaped structures, built off-site and delivered on-site in a matter of hours. This has the added benefit of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.11.049">minimum disruption for our cities</a> compared to traditional construction sites. </p>
<p>Modular buildings come in all shapes and dimensions, from tiny houses to skyscrapers and factories. They are often <a href="https://www.mymove.com/home-inspiration/decoration-design-ideas/basic-facts-about-modular-homes/">more cost-effective</a> to produce than traditional double-brick constructions. </p>
<p>Thus, as well as a minimal environmental footprint, the advantages of modular buildings include flexibility, speed and cost. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People watch as a crane lowers a building module into place" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368421/original/file-20201109-16-1t6dbsc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The building’s eight modules were built off-site and then rapidly put together on site.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Creating a new building materials market</h2>
<p>By adopting easily disassembled modular buildings, we can create a whole new market for reusable building materials. Design-for-disassembly and closed-loop supply chains can keep building components in the material loop as they are – without the need for wishy-washy and wasteful recycling procedures. </p>
<p>Similar to the way nature operates, the team at CUSP created a building whose byproducts from one process remain in the loop as inputs for the next, keeping waste to a minimum. In this way, disassembly becomes <a href="https://theconversation.com/unbuilding-cities-as-high-rises-reach-their-use-by-date-129002">much safer and cleaner</a>, which benefits our cities and their residents.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unbuilding-cities-as-high-rises-reach-their-use-by-date-129002">Unbuilding cities as high-rises reach their use-by date</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>All that does not mean <a href="https://www.positivefootprints.com.au/assets/files/133-construction-waste-draft-1.pdf">recycling building waste</a> isn’t beneficial. It all depends on the project. Timber can at least be chipped into garden mulch, bricks and concrete crushed into road base, and so forth.</p>
<p>But this approach is not nearly as neat as nature’s way of handling waste. Design for disassembly and modularity comes closer to that. It can lead the way towards a marketplace where it is common practice to retain material in the supply chain. </p>
<p>If our goal is to create products and processes that “<a href="https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry">solve our greatest design challenges sustainably</a> and in solidarity with all life on Earth”, it’s time we turned toward nature. We believe it will be a wiser guide than any other in our efforts to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652617303220">redefine wasteful, linear business models</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147455/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roberto Minunno receives funding from ARC ITTC – CAMP.H (Centre for Advanced Manufacture of Prefabricated Housing) Grant number: IC150 1000 23.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Greg Morrison receives funding from CRC LCL, ARENA, Commonwealth Smart Cities and Suburbs, ARC CampH, RACE for 2030 CRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Michael O'Grady receives funding from ARC ITTC – CAMP.H (Centre for Advanced Manufacture of Prefabricated Housing) Grant number: IC150 1000 23. JTSI PhD Fellowship research project J0546/201801 </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard L. Gruner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A building designed to be easily taken apart so the components can be reused is a model for much less wasteful construction. It reduces resource use and environmental impacts, and can be cheaper too.
Roberto Minunno, Research Fellow in Sustainability Buildings, Curtin University
Greg Morrison, Professor and Director, Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Curtin University
Richard L. Gruner, Associate professor, The University of Western Australia
Timothy Michael O'Grady, PhD researcher, Curtin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/133585
2020-08-12T11:12:44Z
2020-08-12T11:12:44Z
Plastics could help build a sustainable future – here’s how
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351969/original/file-20200810-24-vks7q6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/kn-UmDZQDjM">Xavi Cabrera/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The disposal of plastics is a global problem. They are nearly indestructible in natural conditions but are discarded worldwide on a large scale. The world produces around <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/282732/global-production-of-plastics-since-1950">359 million metric tons</a> of plastics each year. Nature cannot address the amount of their disposal at a speed fast enough to prevent harm to living beings.</p>
<p>There is a consensus that plastics are an unsustainable material. And yes, plastics are certainly an enormous problem, but they don’t necessarily have to be. The main issue is with our linear economic model: goods are produced, consumed, then disposed of. This model assumes endless economic growth and doesn’t consider the planet’s exhaustible resources.</p>
<p>Most people believe that plastics recycling is severely restricted: that only a few types can be recycled at all. This is unsurprising. The proportion of plastics that are recycled is minimal. The UK, for example, uses <a href="http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8515/CBP-8515.pdf">five million tonnes</a> of plastic each year, and only <a href="https://www.bpf.co.uk/sustainability/plastics_recycling.aspx#2.1">370,000 tonnes</a> are recycled each year: that’s just 7%.</p>
<p>But all polymers are, technologically, 100% recyclable. Some of them have the perfect cradle-to-cradle lifecycle: they can be used again and again to produce the same goods. Some plastics can be reused just as they are by shredding an object into flakes, melting it, and reusing. </p>
<p>Such recycled plastics may have lower mechanical properties compared to virgin plastics, because each time you melt and process a plastic, the polymeric chains degrade. But these properties can be recovered by mixing it to additives or virgin plastic. Examples of successful industrial recycling include PET – poly(ethylene therephtalate), which is used to make soft drinks bottles, and polystyrene.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pile of plastic bottles being processed at a factory." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351968/original/file-20200810-18-1re5jt8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A PET plastic recycling plant.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-escalator-pile-plastic-bottles-factory-599435528">Alba_alioth/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All of the rest can technically be reprocessed into new materials for different applications. In the final instance, any plastic waste can be shredded and used as filler for asphalt, or be pyrolysed to produce fuel. The Japanese company Blest Corporation already sells a <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/blest-machine">portable machine</a> to convert domestic plastic waste into fuel in a simple, affordable way.</p>
<p>The problem is that recycling much of this plastic waste is currently unfeasible and unprofitable. Polymers such as rubbers, elastomers, thermosets and mixed plastic waste are comfortably labelled as “unrecyclable” by the recycling sector. But the amount of these materials all over the world is <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment/">frighteningly large</a> and keeps on growing. What if this plastic waste could be used to produce something useful to society?</p>
<p>Many universities and entrepreneurs are attempting to do this. Most solutions target mixed plastic waste and suggest applications different from the original ones. For example, <a href="https://www.consciousdesigns.nl/unibrick-samples">several</a> <a href="https://www.expertskiphire.co.uk/plastic-bricks">groups</a> have developed <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2020/04/01/daydreamers-design-flame-pavilion-recycled-plastic-bricks/">building materials</a> made of <a href="http://conceptosplasticos.com/conceptos-plasticos.html">plastic waste</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aEb6ihZBoeg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Plastics are strong, durable, waterproof, lightweight, easy to mould, and recyclable – all key properties for construction materials. So what if all of this plastic waste could be converted into building materials for low-income populations? Existing initiatives are promising, but not yet reproducible on an industrial scale. </p>
<h2>Plastic building blocks</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352003/original/file-20200810-20-1r41jp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This plastic blend has a confetti effect by incorporating recycled propylene.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Sibele Cestari</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I study plastic waste with the specific aim of finding interesting ways to remove it from the environment. Since 2009, I have developed a number of building materials made of post-consumer plastics mixed with different waste-stream materials. From agricultural wastes such as <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/1/1/205/htm">sugarcane bagasse</a> – a by-product of the sugar industry in Brazil – and <a href="https://revistapolimeros.org.br/doi/10.4322/polimeros.2014.011">coffee dregs</a>, to concrete waste and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10924-019-01569-x">construction debris</a>, compounded with recycled plastics, there are many ways to obtain materials to produce bricks, roof tiles, plastic lumber and other useful elements for building.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352005/original/file-20200810-16-c92j8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Plastic block made with 10% recycled plastics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Sibele Cestari</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our team is currently trying to develop a <a href="https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FS025545%2F1">viable building block</a> made of recycled plastics. We have prepared a range of prospective materials using a mix of virgin and recycled plastics – coloured PET bottles, polypropylene, polyethylene – and other local waste-stream materials – hemp, sawdust, concrete waste and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauxite_tailings">red mud</a>. </p>
<p>We are currently adjusting the properties of the materials for the <a href="https://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/processes/rotational_moulding.aspx">rotomoulding process</a>, a plastics moulding technology which is ideal for making large hollow articles. We want to use the maximum amount of recycled plastics in this block. Blocks made of 25% recycled plastics have performed extremely well in mechanical tests. Next we’ll try 50%, 75% and 100%.</p>
<p>We are also thinking about the aesthetics of the blocks. Blends of recycled mixed-colour plastics usually end up with a grey or black colour. To enable colour, we are preparing blends of virgin or recycled plastics to overlay the main bulk of the block.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352021/original/file-20200810-14-106pein.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Blends of virgin plastic and waste materials.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Dan Corbet</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building from waste</h2>
<p>So perhaps plastics are not necessarily the problem. They can be part of a pathway towards a more sustainable way of living. Using a <a href="https://cncf.com.au/carbon-myths-paper-vs-plastic/">natural or renewable resource</a> is not necessarily environmentally friendly. The ecological footprint of a polymeric material is smaller than that of natural materials, which have a sizeable demand on arable land, clean water, fertilisers and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/sustainability-unhelpful-think-regeneration">regeneration time</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="An object construction of different coloured pyramid blocks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352499/original/file-20200812-22-96bdsp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Building blocks made with recycled plastics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Denise Price</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.footprintnetwork.org/">Global Footprint Network</a>, before the pandemic we were demanding 1.75 times the available resources of the planet. Working with the “unrecyclable” waste and developing plastics alternatives to natural materials may reduce this demand and leave a cleaner and more sustainable planet for the next generations.</p>
<p>Building materials made from recycled plastics are not yet widely used in the construction industry – prototypes have mainly been used for demonstrative installations. It will take political will and widespread environmental awareness to encourage more investment into the potential in plastics recycling. </p>
<p>But hopefully the tide is beginning to turn, as a consequence of the increasing pressure from public opinion about the plastic pollution matter. Thanks to the engagement of government and industry to the idea of a circular economy, it seems that there will be an opening in the market – and in people’s minds – to welcome plastic initiatives to replace conventional building materials.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133585/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sibele Cestari works for Queen's University of Belfast. She receives funding from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). </span></em></p>
Plastics are strong, durable, waterproof, lightweight, easy to mould, and recyclable – all key properties for construction materials.
Sibele Cestari, Research Fellow in Polymeric Materials, Queen's University Belfast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/128271
2019-12-23T11:20:15Z
2019-12-23T11:20:15Z
How did the Rebels beat the Empire in Star Wars? The answer is closer to home than you think
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307661/original/file-20191218-11891-8fow4x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4896%2C3261&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/5afenxnLDjs">NeONBRAND/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It may all have happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but there’s a secret weapon in every Star Wars film that’s found almost everywhere humans live on Earth. It explains how the scrappy Rebel Alliance were able to defeat the mighty Galactic Empire, with all its high-tech weaponry, vast space armada and the Death Star. </p>
<p>Even with the help of Jedis, The Force, ewoks and a wookiee, Luke Skywalker and the rebels skirted annihilation on many occasions. We believe that their ultimate victory owed less to their mystic powers and allies, and instead to something more down-to-earth. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-build-a-real-lightsaber-51000">How to build a real lightsaber</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In several key moments throughout the series, the survival of the rebels depends on their ability to escape the Empire’s clutches, by retreating to, and defending, fortified bases. These are spread out on remote planets throughout the galaxy, in often hostile environments, from snowbound Hoth to desiccated Crait.</p>
<p>It’s time to finally give the Rebel Alliance’s engineering corps the credit it deserves. The fate of the galaxy was decided not by light sabres – but by concrete.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/adzYW5DZoWs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>The Snows of Hoth</h2>
<p>At the start of The Empire Strikes Back, things are looking grim. The Empire have cornered the remnants of the Rebel Alliance on the ice planet, Hoth. Fortunately, General Leia and co are able to defend Echo Base long enough for their allies to evacuate. The base is built into subterranean caves, but concrete is still needed for the roofs and floors of the spacecraft hangars, and the defensive laser cannon emplacements.</p>
<p>But how could they make all that concrete when temperatures on Hoth are consistently below 0°C? Concrete doesn’t set by drying out, but by a hydration reaction, which consumes water. If the water in the concrete mix is frozen solid, it can’t take part in the hydration reaction, and so the concrete can’t develop its strength.</p>
<p>So how did the Rebel engineers get around this? A cheat solution for small structures is simply to make the concrete in a place it’s not freezing, and then bring it in. This is known as “pre-cast” concrete. Engineers are currently using this to upgrade the <a href="https://ramboll.com/projects/ruk/british-antarctic-survey-rothera">Rothera research station in Antarctica</a> – the most similar place to Hoth there is on Earth.</p>
<p>But shipping all that concrete through space isn’t practical. Engineers on Earth have a better solution – they use special rapid-hardening cement that contains calcium aluminates. This reduces how long the “danger zone” lasts, during which the cement must be protected from freezing. This quick-hardening ability allowed the French Army to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1201/9781482288872">build gun emplacements quickly</a> in the first world war, and could have helped fortify rebel defences on Hoth.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Mj7c1DEQ00?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>The salt lakes of Crait</h2>
<p>In 2017’s The Last Jedi, the rebels were almost wiped out again by the pursuing Imperial fleet. They take shelter on the barren planet of Crait, covered by flat, dried up salt lakes. The rebels regroup in an old base built into a mountain that’s protected by colossal, metal blast doors, supported by a reinforced concrete structure. Outside lie the vast salt flats and the attacking Imperial forces. Compared to the laser cannons of the First Order, salt would seem the least of the rebels’ worries. But in fact, salts can be one of the most destructive substances for reinforced concrete.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/star-wars-is-a-fantasy-film-firmly-based-on-americas-real-conflicts-76098">Star Wars is a fantasy film firmly based on America's real conflicts</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Reinforced concrete contains steel rods to make it stronger and resist bending. But if CO₂ in the atmosphere and chloride in the salts diffuse into the concrete, the steel can corrode, blister and weaken the concrete by expanding. This is sometimes known as “concrete cancer” and has been a contributing factor in several engineering disasters on Earth, including <a href="https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/17517/Italys-Morandi-Bridge-CollapseWhat-Do-We-Know.aspx">the collapse of the Morandi bridge</a> in Genoa in 2018. In that particular case it is believed that <a href="https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/17517/Italys-Morandi-Bridge-CollapseWhat-Do-We-Know.aspx">salts carried in the sea air accelerated the deterioration</a> of the structure.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5aJHjrfHegA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Were the Rebels foolish to build reinforced concrete bases where salt is everywhere? Actually, this type of corrosion needs a certain level of humidity in the air. Crait has very little water, or none at all. In such a dry environment, corrosion wouldn’t happen. So thankfully for General Leia and co, the mountain base was in a good enough condition to resist the bombardment – just long enough for Luke Skywalker to intervene. But how did they make all that concrete in the first place with so little water?</p>
<p>Given that concrete needs water to set, a planet without water would prove tricky. The Middle East on Earth is largely desert, but there’s still <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-017-0009-5">a lot of concrete production</a>, much of it made with desalinated seawater, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.04.023">which is expensive</a>. On planets where there isn’t even seawater, water is too dense and precious to use for anything but keeping humans alive. There’s no easy fix for this, but it’s possible the rebels took a similar approach to scientists designing constructions on our Moon – using alternative binding materials instead of cement, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2007.08.018">sulphur</a>, which could be mined from lunar rocks.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307457/original/file-20191217-58344-dv5pg1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tattooine is the desert planet on which Luke Skywalker grew up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SW_binary_sunset.png">20th Century Fox</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Back on Earth</h2>
<p>While the battle for the fate of the galaxy concludes in the cinema, the battle for the future of humanity continues here on Earth. Cement is the largest manufactured product on Earth by mass, and generates <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-why-cement-emissions-matter-for-climate-change">about 8% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions</a>, which is more than all of aviation. Concrete is the <a href="http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25281/eco_efficient_cements.pdf">second most-used substance on Earth</a> – only water is used more. The world as we know it would not exist without concrete. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/star-wars-the-evolution-of-the-death-star-reflects-hollywoods-growing-fears-of-a-climate-apocalypse-122811">Star Wars: the evolution of the Death Star reflects Hollywood's growing fears of a climate apocalypse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the concrete saga is by no means over. At the UK’s <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/civil-engineering-research-innovation/doc/centre-infrastructure-materials">National Centre for Infrastructure Materials</a>, our research is helping to tackle two of the biggest challenges – reducing the environmental footprint of producing concrete and making the sure that the lifetime of concrete infrastructure is as long and robust as possible. May The Force be with us …</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This article was written in collaboration with Dr Sam Adu-Amankwah, Prof Susan Bernal Lopez, Prof Leon Black, Dr Juan Pablo Gevaudan and Dr Toby Lord (School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds).
Alastair Marsh receives funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/R001642/1), and UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (EP/P017169/1). </span></em></p>
‘Use the reinforced concrete, Luke.’
Alastair Marsh, Research Fellow in Civil Engineering, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/126563
2019-12-04T09:15:57Z
2019-12-04T09:15:57Z
How we can recycle more buildings
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304563/original/file-20191201-156090-vgtqcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Thinking big.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/city-top-view-skyscrapers-building-by-774140332">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118710">35 billion tonnes</a> of non-metallic minerals are extracted from the Earth every year. These materials mainly end up being used to build homes, schools, offices and hospitals. It’s a staggering amount of resources, and it’s only too likely to increase in the coming years as the global population continues to grow. </p>
<p>Thankfully, the challenges of sustainable construction, industrial growth and the importance of resource efficiency are now clearly recognised by governments around the world and are now at the forefront of strategy and policy.</p>
<p>A critical component of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/securing-the-future-delivering-uk-sustainable-development-strategy">UK government’s sustainability strategy</a> concerns the way in which construction and demolition waste – CDW, as we call it in the trade – is managed. CDW comes from the construction of buildings, civil infrastructure and their demolition and is one of the heaviest waste streams generated in the world – 35% of the world’s landfill is made up of CDW.</p>
<p>The EU’s <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/eu-construction-and-demolition-waste-protocol-0_en">Waste Framework Directive</a>, which aims to recycle 70% of non-hazardous CDW by 2020, has encouraged the construction industry to process and reuse materials more sustainably. This directive, which favours preventive measures – for example, reducing their use in the first place – as the best approach to tackling waste, has been implemented in the UK since 2011. More specific to the construction industry, the <a href="https://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/berr-strategy-for-sustainable-construction">Sustainable Construction Strategy</a> also sets overall targets for diverting CDW from landfill.</p>
<p>Policies worldwide recognise that the construction sector needs to take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, tackle the climate crisis and limit resource depletion, with a focus on adopting a <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-a-circular-economy-29666">circular economy</a> approach in construction to ensure the sustainable use of construction materials. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/circular-economy-ancient-populations-pioneered-the-idea-of-recycling-waste-107332">Circular economy: ancient populations pioneered the idea of recycling waste</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Instead of simply knocking buildings down and sending the CDW to landfill, circular construction would turn building components that are at the end of their service life into resources for others, minimising waste.</p>
<p>It would change economic logic because it replaces production with sufficiency: reuse what you can, recycle what cannot be reused, repair what is broken, and re-manufacture what cannot be repaired. It will also help protect businesses against a shortage of resources and unstable prices, creating innovative business opportunities and efficient methods of producing and consuming.</p>
<h2>Changing the mind-set</h2>
<p>The mind-set of the industry needs to change towards the cleaner production of raw materials and better circular construction models. Technical issues – such as price, legal barriers and regulations – that stand in the way of the solutions being rolled out more widely must also be overcome through innovation.</p>
<p>Materials scientists, for example, are currently investigating and developing products that use processed CDW for manufacturing building components – for example, by crushing up CDW and using it to make new building materials.</p>
<p>Technical problems around the reuse of recycled materials should be solved through clever material formulations and detailed property investigations. For instance, the high water absorption rate in recycled aggregates causes durability problems in wall components. This is something that research must address.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=328&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=328&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304697/original/file-20191202-67017-1fq3pn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=328&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robots and AI should play a key role in future circular construction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/manager-engineer-check-control-automation-robot-1104780941">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Moreover, it is illegal in the EU to use products that haven’t been certified for construction. This is one of the main obstacles standing in the way of the more widespread reuse of materials, particularly in a structural capacity. Testing the performance of materials for certification can be expensive, which adds to the cost of the material and may cancel out any savings made from reusing them.</p>
<p>For the construction, demolition and waste management industries to remain competitive in a global marketplace, they must continue to develop and implement supply chain innovations that improve efficiency and reduce energy, waste and resource use. To achieve this, substantial research into smart, mobile and integrated systems is necessary.</p>
<p>Radically advanced robotic artificial intelligence (AI) systems for sorting and processing CDW must also be developed. Many industries are facing an uncertain future and today’s technological limitations cannot be assumed to apply. The construction industry is likely to be significantly affected by the potential of transformative technologies such as AI, 3D printing, virtual/augmented reality and robotics. The application of such technologies presents both significant opportunities and challenges.</p>
<h2>A model for the future</h2>
<p>As the image below shows, we have developed a concept for an integrated, eco-friendly circular construction solution. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304567/original/file-20191201-156095-1h42cnl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Advanced sensors and AI that can detect quickly and determine accurately what can be used among CDW and efficient robotic sorting could aid circular construction by vastly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2018.05.005">improving the recycling of a wide range of materials</a>. The focus should be on the smart dismantling of buildings and ways of optimising cost-effective processes.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vkchv4TLinE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The industry must also be inspired to highlight and prove the extraordinary potential of this new construction economy. We can drive this through a combination of creative design, focused academic research and applied technology, external industry engagement and flexible, responsive regulation. </p>
<p>Only through a combination of efforts can we start to recycle more buildings, but I’m confident that with the right will – and the right investment – we can start to massively reduce the amount of materials we pull from the ground each year and move towards a truly sustainable future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126563/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Seyed Ghaffar, Brunel University London, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.</span></em></p>
Old buildings aren’t just waste – the materials can be reused to create the cities of the future.
Seyed Ghaffar, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and Environmental Materials, Brunel University London
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/125892
2019-10-25T14:04:34Z
2019-10-25T14:04:34Z
Refurbishing old buildings reduces emissions – but outdated tax rates make it expensive
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298737/original/file-20191025-173562-rnpqyt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C23%2C5160%2C3406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Old and new in Milton Keynes, UK. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/grand-union-canal-running-through-old-98774561">donsimon/Shutterstock. </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The construction of new buildings in the UK emits <a href="https://www.ukgbc.org/climate-change/">48 megatonnes</a> of carbon dioxide (CO₂) each year – that’s equal to the <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/set-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions-target-year-information-analysis/pages/5/">net emissions</a> of the entire country of Scotland. The materials, transportation and construction processes for new buildings are all carbon intensive. For example, cement accounts for <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46455844">an estimated 8%</a> of global CO₂ emissions.</p>
<p>Existing buildings already embody significant CO₂ emissions, which makes it all the more important to upgrade and refurbish – rather than demolish and rebuild – wherever possible. But as it stands, the UK’s tax system actually puts a significant financial penalty on refurbishment, while incentivising new construction. </p>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Construction_VAT">three VAT rates</a> for residential construction: 20% for refurbishment, 0% for most new houses or flats and 5% for certain work, such as redeveloping long-term empty residences or merging two properties into one. </p>
<p>This difference in cost distorts the market significantly towards investment in new buildings, regardless of environmental considerations. Although the <a href="http://www.vatlive.com/vat-rates/european-vat-rates/">rates vary</a> across Europe, my own research has found that <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/files/7921260/EU_VAT_rates_Comparative_sustainable_construction.xlsx">similar disparities</a> arise. </p>
<p>Because of this, reforming construction VAT rates would offer an easy opportunity to enormously reduce CO₂ emissions, avoid waste and encourage improvements within the existing building stock – all of which could be done quite simply. With a short transition period to allow continuity for developments that have already received financing or planning approval, such reform could be implemented rapidly, providing a powerful tool to help accelerate sustainable, low-carbon construction.</p>
<h2>Make it simple</h2>
<p>To start with, construction VAT rates for all dwellings should be simplified: all new or existing building works should have the same 5% rate, as experts <a href="http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2005/11/22/UTF_final_report.pdf">have long called for</a>. This <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/sites/taxation/files/resources/documents/taxation/vat/how_vat_works/rates/study_reduced_vat.pdf">would help</a> level the playing field and accelerate energy-saving improvements to existing dwellings and reduce waste, in cases where demolishing an existing building is evidently less environmentally sustainable than refurbishing it.</p>
<p>But this alone won’t go far enough. Although <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/approved-documents">building regulations</a> enforce minimum standards of energy efficiency, there’s currently a lack of incentive and many barriers that prevent developers from delivering lower emissions during construction and better energy performance over the building’s life expectancy, by using advanced sustainable construction techniques and materials. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XyGhjJ1IV","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>For example, key feature of the 2019 Stirling Prize winner <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/oct/08/stirling-prize-architecture-goldsmith-street-norwich-council-houses">Goldsmith Street social housing</a> – by Mikhail Riches architects for Norwich City Council – was that it met the widely-recognised <a href="http://passivhaustrust.org.uk/what_is_passivhaus.phphttp://passivhaustrust.org.uk/what_is_passivhaus.php">Passivhaus standard</a>. This standard calls for a design that reduces heat loss from the building, so much so that it hardly requires any heating at all. Rigorous design, quality control, supervision and testing were required to ensure the reduction of CO₂ emissions massively surpassed building regulations.</p>
<h2>Create incentives</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/incentivising-design-quality-and-sustainability(6f808b09-a79d-4ce9-bf92-4c266855297a).html">my research</a>, I propose that the existing 0% VAT rate for new dwellings could be redefined, so that developers can only obtain financial rewards if they use low-carbon construction techniques to create highly energy efficient buildings. </p>
<p>This could accelerate reductions in CO₂ emissions and help the UK meet its climate obligations, such as <a href="https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf">the Paris Agreement</a>. Any cost to the government <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/files/7975024/13_03_15_RIBA_VAT_Proposals.pdf">could be matched</a> by additional income from raising VAT from 0% to 5% on some new buildings, reducing in VAT avoidance (the current 20% rate drives the black economy) and creating long-term economic benefits by reducing demands on energy supply and materials consumption.</p>
<p>Industry standard measures – such as <a href="http://passivhaustrust.org.uk/what_is_passivhaus.phphttp://passivhaustrust.org.uk/what_is_passivhaus.php">Passivhaus</a> and <a href="https://www.breeam.com/">BREEAM</a> – already provide a way to verify and certify the quality of building construction. Measures that enable the <a href="https://www.ukgbc.org/sites/default/files/How%20to%20build%20circular%20economy%20thinking%20into%20your%20projects.pdf">reuse of construction waste</a> should also be taken into consideration. </p>
<p>For example, bricks laid with cement mortar can’t be reused, whereas using lime mortar means they can be recycled whole. This might also include the use of recycled masonry, ironmongery, doors and linings, floors, fittings and windows – all of which used to be available in architectural salvage yards. </p>
<p>So, new or refurbished dwellings that exceed the building regulation requirements by delivering further CO₂ emissions reductions, would receive a 0% VAT rate after being completed and certified according to industry standards. For developers, the recoverable sum would be an incentive driving CO₂ reductions, innovation and higher quality construction. </p>
<p>The realities of the climate emergency <a href="https://www.constructiondeclares.com/">are widely recognised</a> across the construction industry, and the prospect of VAT reform already <a href="https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/introducing-retrofirst-a-new-aj-campaign-championing-reuse-in-the-built-environment/10044359.article">enjoys wide support</a> from bodies including the Architects’ Climate Action Network, RIBA, Historic Environment Scotland, the Town and Country Planning Association, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the UK Green Building Council. </p>
<p>Reforming construction VAT so that all projects face the same 5% rate could rapidly incentivise change to more sustainable, low-carbon construction – at no cost to the taxpayer. With the UK seeking to become net carbon neutral by 2050, waiting is no longer an option.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125892/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Walter Menteth does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Developers pay more tax to refurbish than demolish and rebuild – but there’s a very easy fix.
Walter Menteth, Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/121248
2019-09-02T19:51:54Z
2019-09-02T19:51:54Z
Bamboo architecture: Bali’s Green School inspires a global renaissance
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289798/original/file-20190828-184192-71sybw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C0%2C6000%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With the tensile strength of steel but six times lighter, bamboo can be used for ambitious buildings once it has been treated to ensure its durability.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Green School Bali</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Bali’s <a href="https://www.greenschool.org/">Green School</a> recently celebrated its first decade of educating toddlers through teenagers (and their digital nomad parents) about eco-ethical design and cooperative living. Set in a village near Ubud, this tropical jungle campus of quirky bamboo pavilions has become a globally influential exhibition of one of this century’s significant architectural trends.</p>
<p>There is a major renaissance in correctly growing, cutting, treating, drying and laminating bamboo so it can be <a href="https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/bamboo?inheritRedirect=true">used with confidence for substantial and near-permanent structures</a>. Much of the inspiration for this has come from Green School founders John and Cynthia Hardy and their daughter Elora. Their TED talks and YouTube videos have been widely watched.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HD4bpztESWw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">John Hardy talks about his Green School dream.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bamboo-could-turn-the-worlds-construction-trade-on-its-head-29685">Bamboo could turn the world's construction trade on its head</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Bamboo always has been a basic construction material in tropical latitudes. But generally it has been used for inexpensive shacks, stalls, fences, scaffolding and sunscreens. If not treated, bamboo is highly susceptible to fire and naturally degrades within two or three years, because insects and fungi rapidly devour the sugar-and-starch-rich sap inside the canes.</p>
<p>In Bali during the 1990s, Irish-Australian designer <a href="http://ubudnowandthen.com/vale-linda-garland-legend/">Linda Garland</a> pioneered contemporary uses of bamboo. She worked with University of Hamburg scientist <a href="https://worldbamboo.net/news-and-events/bamboo-pioneers/walter-liese-germany">Walter Liese</a> to treat bamboo against the ravages of powderpost beetles and turn it into a commercially viable building material. </p>
<p>One essential preparation technique is to drill through the centres of the canes with long steel rods, then apply repellent and fire-resistant chemicals. Often this involves a soaking solution that includes borax salt powder. The bamboo is then dried out for several days to weeks.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289987/original/file-20190828-184229-ir11vs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Once the problems of fire and pests are solved, bamboo becomes a durable and versatile construction material.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Green School Bali</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Technology helps transform practices</h2>
<p>Ancient practices in China and Japan remain the gold standard for durable bamboo buildings. </p>
<p>Traditional Japanese rectilinear designs had gable roofs and rooms matching the dimensions of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami">tatami</a> mats. </p>
<p>Some Chinese bridges date back as far as the 10th century AD. Floating villages (bamboo platforms with clusters of huts) supported dozens of families as recently as the 17th century. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289800/original/file-20190828-184211-wjsgx0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The bamboo bridge at the Green School has an ancient inspiration.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Davina Jackson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Ecuador, archaeologists found a bamboo funeral chamber carbon-dated to 7500 BC. Ecuadorian bamboo, known as <em>caña de Guayaquil</em> (or Guaya), is exported to Peru, Colombia and other Latin American countries. Here bamboo buildings tend to be weatherproofed by thick coatings of mud. (David Witte has written a <a href="https://www.usmp.edu.pe/centro_bambu_peru/pdf/witte_2018-bamboothesis.pdf">thesis</a> on historical and contemporary bamboo buildings in South America.)</p>
<p>Today, Bali’s Green School and several associated enterprises, are prominent in a third millennium movement to build geometrically irregular, often sinuous, structures.</p>
<p>These outré styles obviously have been influenced by the trans-millennial technology revolution in digital modelling and manufacturing. Extremely asymmetrical architecture can now be fabricated precisely with metal, glass and masonry components. </p>
<p>However, the Hardys and their international team of bamboo building experts craft small-scale physical models of their designs. The artisans then copy these models on site at full scale. This manual system need not stop designers from sketching initial concepts on their screens.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kK_UjBmHqQw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Elora Hardy talks about the potential of bamboo, as both a sustainable resource and inspiration for innovative buildings.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cheap-tough-and-green-why-arent-more-buildings-made-of-rammed-earth-38040">Cheap, tough and green: why aren't more buildings made of rammed earth?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What happens at the school?</h2>
<p>The Green School educates more than 500 students from pre-kindergarten to Year 12. It complements standard curriculum subjects with various practical tasks and projects that build healthy and ecological skills and habits. Teachers, and parents co-opted as project leaders and mentors, encourage pupils to design and build specific structures that provide useful amenities for the campus.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289809/original/file-20190828-184222-1w5n0p6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bamboo is used throughout the school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Davina Jackson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One recent middle-school project produced a series of tiny shelters as quiet retreats. Each one is to be occupied by only one child at a time. A campus guide notes that Sir Richard Branson recently climbed into one of these cubby houses, a tiny netted bamboo platform hanging from a tree branch, without upsetting the apparently fragile enclosure.</p>
<p>Elora Hardy’s team at architecture, interior and landscape design company <a href="https://ibuku.com/about/">Ibuku</a> designed and made most of the school’s buildings. They also have created yoga and cooking school pavilions, hotels, houses, restaurant interiors and permaculture gardens around Bali and in some Asian cities.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289983/original/file-20190828-184240-de1c5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Elora Hardy’s team designed and made most of the school’s buildings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Davina Jackson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=669&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=669&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=669&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=841&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=841&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289805/original/file-20190828-184248-1pdwzwu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=841&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students make biosoap in the Kul Kul Connection program.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Green School Bali</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>An affiliated venture also operates Green Camp residential courses for children and their parents visiting for one to 11 days. Their meals are cooked with vegetables grown at the Hardys’ Kul Kul permaculture farm. </p>
<p>Another family venture, <a href="https://www.bamboou.com/about">Bamboo U</a>, led by Orin Hardy, provides hands-on training for potential builders. The courses cover bamboo selection (different uses of seven preferred Balinese species), treatment, building design, modelling and on-site fabrication, including professionals from Ibuku as teachers. </p>
<h2>A global embracing of bamboo</h2>
<p>During the Green School’s first decade, a new generation of studios led by young Asian architects gained prominence and international awards for their creativity with bamboo. They include: Vo Trong Nghia (VTNA) and H&P Architects in Vietnam; Nattapon Klinsuwan (NKWD), Chiangmai Life Architects and Bambooroo in Thailand; Abin Design Studio and Mansaram Architects in India; Bambu Art in Bali; Atelier Sacha Cotture in the Philippines; HWCD, Penda (Chris Precht) and Li Xiaodong in China; and William Lim (CL3) in Hong Kong. </p>
<p>And some long-established, internationally renowned architecture firms have completed projects with significant uses of bamboo. They include Japanese architects Kengo Kuma, Arata Isozaki and Shigeru Ban, London-based Foster + Partners and Italy’s Renzo Piano.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289816/original/file-20190828-184217-15uxp1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bamboo inspires its own architectural forms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Green School Bali</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/surviving-climate-change-means-transforming-both-economics-and-design-109164">Surviving climate change means transforming both economics and design</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Many bamboo buildings today include timber or concrete slab floors because these can be laid consistently flat. But researchers at <a href="https://www.empa.ch/web/empa/empa">Empa</a>, the Swiss materials research academy, have developed highly durable and temperature-inert floor and deck boards made with a composite of bamboo fibres and resin. These prototype boards are being tested in one of the <a href="https://www.empa.ch/web/nest/visionwood">Vision Wood</a> student apartment modules slotted into Empa’s <a href="https://www.empa.ch/web/nest">NEST</a> testing facility at Dübendorf.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Green School is expanding from Bali. An associate campus <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/114404021/taranakis-green-school-starts-to-take-shape-as-construction-begins">opens next year</a> on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island – where bamboo is not naturally grown or legally used as an architectural material. Instead the Taranaki school will build aerial classrooms – pods on poles – using various local species of pine.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Davina Jackson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Bamboo has been used since ancient times for building, but only in recent decades has pioneering work in Bali inspired its wider use for substantial and enduring structures.
Davina Jackson, Honorary Academic, School of Architecture, University of Kent
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/120913
2019-08-12T14:20:39Z
2019-08-12T14:20:39Z
South Africa’s construction industry could become safer. Here’s how
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285516/original/file-20190724-110158-1w5wz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Construction workers in Cape Town. It's a dangerous job.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nic Bothma/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Construction is tough, sometimes dangerous work. Globally, the construction industry accounts for <a href="https://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0000482?src=recsys">about 7%</a> of employment. But it’s responsible for between <a href="https://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0000482?src=recsys">30% and 40%</a> of all work-related fatalities. The figure is at its highest in developing countries. This is because contractor organisations in those countries tend to lack a safety culture. Health and management systems are also less robust there than in developed nations.</p>
<p>This is obviously a huge problem. First, of course, there’s the loss of human life. But there’s an economic effect too. Accidents disrupt site activities. Projects can then run behind schedule, leading to cost overruns. This affects productivity and the industry’s reputation as a whole.</p>
<p>In South Africa, the construction industry accounts for around <a href="http://www.cidb.org.za/publications/Documents/Construction%20Monitor%20-%20October%202018.pdf">8%</a> of total formal employment and around <a href="http://www.cidb.org.za/publications/Documents/Construction%20Monitor%20-%20October%202018.pdf">17%</a> of total informal employment. It is also the <a href="http://www.cidb.org.za/publications/Documents/Construction%20Health%20and%20Safety%20in%20South%20Africa.pdf">third most dangerous</a> sector for workers after the transportation and fishing industries.</p>
<p>In a recent <a href="https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/105803">study</a>, I tried to find out why health and safety performance is not up to standard in South Africa’s construction industry. I looked at how contractor organisations manage health and safety. I also compared the effectiveness of different management arrangements. This is important: there’s no uniformity around health and safety management programmes and practices within the construction industry.</p>
<p>What emerged was that health and safety management within the construction industry has not developed at the same pace as in other industries. Additionally, it hasn’t kept up with technological advances like robotics, 3D printing and data analytics. These innovative technologies have been well adopted by the automobile and manufacturing industries – and have reduced employees’ exposure to dangerous tasks.</p>
<p>However, in a country beset by <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2019-08-05-unemployment-in-south-africa-is-worse-than-you-think">high unemployment</a> and inequality, automation can be a sensitive subject.</p>
<p>Another problem I found is that legislation governing health and safety management in the construction industry focuses on individual projects. It doesn’t place any obligation on contractors to implement health and safety management systems, nor to maintain these competencies within their organisations in the long-term. </p>
<h2>Several problems</h2>
<p>One of the issues I identified was how South Africa’s medium and large contractor organisations manage their own health and safety systems. In some cases, they outsource this work to health and safety management consultants who provide advisory and administrative support. But such arrangements focus on legislative compliance. They don’t do much to drive continuous improvement in the organisation’s health and safety performance.</p>
<p>In other instances, safety management happens internally through contractors’ own organisational structures. This approach also has many problems. Companies just don’t allocate enough resources for proactive health and safety management. Accountability mechanisms are few and far between. There aren’t many incentives for employees to get involved in health and safety management activities. Health and safety training aren’t a priority, either.</p>
<p>Some of the other issues I identified related to the business environment. These included the widespread practice of subcontracting and price-based competition. Both have a negative effect on the industry’s safety performance.</p>
<p>There are critical deficiencies in the management of subcontractors. And the absence of a uniform basis for costing health and safety when tendering for a project means that contractors often under-budget for this crucial aspect of their work.</p>
<p>The country also doesn’t have enough suitably qualified health and safety professionals who are registered with the <a href="http://sacpcmp.org.za/">South African Council for Project and Construction Management Profession</a>. This body is statutorily mandated to regulate the practice of health and safety professionals within the construction industry. I was told by several interviewees that there just aren’t enough registered health and safety professionals for the number of ongoing construction projects. </p>
<p>So how can the country’s construction industry become a safer place to work in?</p>
<h2>Potential solutions</h2>
<p>First, specific policies are needed that will improve health and safety leadership by top management, safety professionals and operational managers within contractor organisations. Policies like this should provide guidance on the minimal requirement for systematic health and safety management to be voluntarily adopted by contractors. The country could draw from the European Union’s <a href="https://osha.europa.eu/en/legislation/directives/the-osh-framework-directive/1">framework directive</a> on occupational health and safety.</p>
<p>There should also be an industry-wide framework for pricing the cost of health and safety. Employer associations such as the <a href="https://www.safcec.org.za/">South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors</a> and the <a href="https://www.masterbuilders.org.za/">Master Builders Association</a> should collaborate with industry regulators and clients’ organisations to develop a framework for the just and efficient costing of health and safety management requirements in tender documents. </p>
<p>Subcontractor organisations should provide for the cost of health and safety management in their rates to principal contractors. They should also employ the services of a full-time health and safety management professional. Studies have found that several functions performed by such internal safety professionals promote <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437510000794?via%3Dihub">safety culture within organisations</a>.</p>
<p>Stakeholders like the Department of Labour, employer associations, labour unions, tertiary institutions and industry bodies will need to come together to address the lack of suitably qualified and registered health and safety professionals. These bodies can facilitate the necessary training and accreditation to meet the construction industry’s needs. </p>
<p>Organisations which regulate the construction industry and labour unions must also work to limit the number of precarious short-term employment contracts within the industry.</p>
<h2>Effective interventions</h2>
<p>There’s also a lot of work to be done by principal contractors. These organisations need to introduce mechanisms that will manage their subcontractors’ health and safety more efficiently.</p>
<p>Such mechanisms need to do two things. First, they must satisfy legislation mandated documentation and audits. Second, they must track and demand demonstrated improvements in health and safety performance. </p>
<p>Contractor organisations should also have an annual budget that funds proactive health and safety management interventions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120913/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patrick Nwabueze Okonkwo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
There’s no uniformity around health and safety management programmes and practices within the construction industry.
Patrick Nwabueze Okonkwo, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Stellenbosch University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/121004
2019-07-26T09:47:12Z
2019-07-26T09:47:12Z
How to keep buildings cool without air conditioning – according to an expert in sustainable design
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285725/original/file-20190725-136759-184p7gy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C8%2C1155%2C689&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_hintsa/3142532293/sizes/o/">Matt Hinsta/Flickr.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The warmer it gets, the more people crank up the air conditioning (AC). In fact, AC is booming in nations across the world: <a href="https://www.iea.org/futureofcooling/">it’s predicted that</a> around two thirds of the world’s households could have an air conditioner by 2050, and the demand for energy to cool buildings will triple. </p>
<p>But unless the energy comes from renewable sources, all that added demand will generate more greenhouse gas emissions, which <a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-is-global-warming-heating-up-the-earth-117543">contribute to global warming</a> – and of course, to hotter summers. It’s a vicious cycle – but buildings can be designed to keep the heat out, without contributing to climate change.</p>
<h2>1. Windows and shading</h2>
<p>Opening windows is a common way people try to cool buildings – but air inside will be just as hot as outside. In fact, the simplest way to keep the heat out is with good insulation and well-positioned windows. Since the sun is high in summer, external horizontal shading such as overhangs and louvres are really effective. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285726/original/file-20190725-136737-14q4dhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sometimes it’s better to shut out the heat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/old-window-shutters-on-european-apartment-1321081676?src=fNo6V-dA4bjvi-07JKQw6A-1-63&studio=1">Shutterstock.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>East and west facing windows are more difficult to shade. Blinds and curtains are not great as they block the view and daylight, and if they are positioned inside the window, the heat actually enters the building. For this reason, external shutters – like those often seen on old buildings in France and Italy – are preferable. </p>
<h2>2. Paints and glazes</h2>
<p>It’s now common for roofs to be painted with special pigments that are designed to reflect solar radiation – not just in the visible range of light, but also the infrared spectrum. These can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.07.026">reduce surface temperatures</a> by more than 10°C, compared to conventional paint. High performance solar glazing on windows also help, with coatings that are “spectrally selective”, which means they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.07.031">keep the sun’s heat outside but let daylight in</a>. </p>
<p>There’s also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2009.08.058">photochromic glazing</a>, that changes transparency depending on the intensity of the light (like some sunglasses) and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.03.044">thermochromic glazing</a>, that becomes darker when it is hot, which can also help. Even thermochromic paints, which absorb light and heat when it’s cold, and reflect it when it’s hot, are <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ijlct/article/10/1/45/756412">being developed</a>.</p>
<h2>3. Building materials</h2>
<p>Buildings which are made of stone, bricks or concrete, or embedded into the ground, can feel cooler thanks to the high “thermal mass” of these materials – that is, their ability to absorb and release heat slowly, thereby smoothing temperatures over time, making daytime cooler and night time warmer. If you have ever visited a stone church in the middle of the Italian summer, you will probably have felt this cooling effect in action. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285727/original/file-20190725-136786-15cozih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cooler inside than out.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/23174201@N06/3515611069/sizes/o/">Blaster/Flickr.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unfortunately, modern buildings often have little thermal mass, or materials with high thermal mass are covered with plasterboard and carpets. Timber is also increasingly used in construction, and while making buildings out of timber generally has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.09.005">lower environmental impacts</a>, its thermal mass is horrendous.</p>
<h2>4. Hybrid and phase change materials</h2>
<p>While concrete has a high thermal mass, it’s extremely energy intensive to produce: 8% to 10% of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705814032494">come from cement</a>. Alternatives such as hybrid systems, composed of timber together with concrete, are increasingly being used in construction, and can help reduce environmental impacts, while also providing the desired thermal mass.</p>
<p>Another, more exciting solution is phase change materials (PCMs). These remarkable materials are able to store or release energy in the form of latent heat, as the material changes phase. So when it’s cold, the substance changes to solid phase (it freezes), and releases heat. When it becomes liquid again, the material absorbs heat, providing a cooling effect. </p>
<p>PCMs can have even greater thermal mass than stones or concrete – <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/8/5/63">research has found</a> that these materials can reduce the internal temperatures by up to 5°C. If added to a building with AC, they can reduce electricity consumption from cooling by 30%. </p>
<p>PCMs have been hailed as a <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/55553.pdf">very promising technology</a> by researchers, and are available commercially – often in ceiling tiles and wall panels. Alas, the manufacture of PCMs is still energy intensive. But some PCMs can cause a quarter of the CO₂ emissions that others do, so choosing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.03.022">the correct product is key</a>. And manufacturing processes should become more efficient over time, making PCMs increasingly worthwhile.</p>
<h2>5. Water evaporation</h2>
<p>Water absorbs heat and evaporates, and as it rises, it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.222">pushes cooler air downwards</a>. This simple phenomenon has led to the development of cooling systems, which make use of water and natural ventilation to reduce the temperature indoors. Techniques used to evaporate water include using sprayers, atomizing nozzles (to create a mist), wet pads or porous materials, such as <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267817111_The_Development_of_Passive_Downdraught_Evaporative_Cooling_Systems_Using_Porous_Ceramic_Evaporators_and_their_application_in_residential_buildings">ceramic evaporators</a> filled with water. </p>
<p>The water can be evaporated in towers, wind catchers or double skin walls – any feature which creates a channel where hot air and water vapour can rise, while cool air sinks. Such systems can be really effective, as long as the weather is relatively dry and the system is controlled carefully – temperatures as low as 14°C to 16°C <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4834161.pdf">have been reported</a> in several buildings. </p>
<p>But before we get too enthusiastic about all these new technologies, let’s go back to basics. A simple way to ensure AC doesn’t contribute to global warming is to power it with renewables – in the hot weather, solar energy seems the obvious choice, but it takes money and space. The fact remains, buildings can no longer be designed without considering how they respond to heat – glass skyscrapers, for example, <a href="https://theconversation.com/glass-skyscrapers-a-great-environmental-folly-that-could-have-been-avoided-116461">should become obsolete</a>. Instead, well insulated roofs and walls are crucial in very hot weather. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/glass-skyscrapers-a-great-environmental-folly-that-could-have-been-avoided-116461">Glass skyscrapers: a great environmental folly that could have been avoided</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Everything that uses electricity in buildings should be as energy efficient as possible. Lighting, computers, dishwashers and televisions all use electricity, and inevitably produce some heat – these should be switched off when not in use. That way, we can all keep as cool as possible, all summer long.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121004/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aurore Julien is a member of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (MCIBSE), a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accedited Professional (LEED AP),and assessor for A Greener Festival. </span></em></p>
Air conditioning requires energy, and contributes to global warming – here are five ways of cooling which won’t cost the planet.
Aurore Julien, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Design, University of East London
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/114782
2019-04-08T16:10:35Z
2019-04-08T16:10:35Z
Houses through time: some homes can reflect a century of social change
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268171/original/file-20190408-2918-sc8wu6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C2%2C757%2C541&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Illustration of ‘Axminster’ linoleum, in ‘Catesby’s one-piece linola squares’, Catesbys Colourful Cork Lino (1938).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">BADDA 181, courtesy of the Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture, Middlesex University, www.moda.mdx.ac.uk</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you live in a house for which you are not the first occupant, you often come across traces of the previous residents in the exterior and interior of the house. More than a third of the UK’s housing stock dates back before World War II and, although this is increasingly rare for obvious reasons, every so often you can come across a “time-capsule house” full of clues as to how ordinary people lived more than 80 years ago.</p>
<p>I had this opportunity when, in 1995, I bought a fully furnished semi-detached house in Wolvercote, north Oxford. Built in 1934, the house had been decorated once and never modernised. Little did I know that my experience of the house was to underpin the next 20 years of my career as a design historian.</p>
<p>It turns out that the newly-built <a href="https://d2yvuud5fila0c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/02151026/Pages-from-9780719068843_Print.pdf">house at Rosamund Road</a> had originally been purchased by Vernon Victor Collett (1900-1960) and his wife Cecilia (nee Wells, 1897-1995). They moved into the house with their sons Basil, aged about 13, and Roy, aged about ten. Vernon was a worker at the Wolvercote paper mill on a modest wage. Both Vernon and Cecilia were from solidly working-class backgrounds.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267770/original/file-20190405-180029-1152ig6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Exterior of semi-detached house at Rosamund Road, Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, 1995.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James R. Ryan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Vernon was the third of six children; his father was a dairyman and his mother a former domestic servant and daughter of an innkeeper. Cecilia was the fourth of five children of a house builder who died young, necessitating his widow to work as a charwoman to support her family. Vernon was the first person in his family to own his own home and is a good example of the kind of person on a modest income who was able to buy a home in the mid-1930s. </p>
<p>This was the most affordable period for home ownership in British history due to falling prices, the availability of compact three-bedroom houses and cheap credit. In 1910, 90% of people rented their homes – by 1939, owner occupation <a href="https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register/the-1930s-home/">had risen to 31%</a>.</p>
<h2>Nation of homeowners</h2>
<p>About 20% of the UK’s current housing stock was built before 1914 and an astonishing 17% was built between the wars. Home ownership was facilitated by the interwar house-building boom when nearly 3m houses were built for private sale and more than a million moved from rental to owner occupation. The ideology of Britain as a nation of homeowners emerged along with the desirability of a more home-centred way of life. It is this period that laid the foundations for the popularisation of the idea of the home as central to identity in Britain.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=889&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=889&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=889&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267772/original/file-20190405-180023-ci83w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Poster for Woolwich Equitable Building Society, c. 1935.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">BADDA 4715, courtesy of the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, Middlesex University, www.moda.ac.uk</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More than a million houses were built by local authorities following the <a href="https://fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ages/council_housing/section3.htm">1919 Addison Act</a> that demanded “homes fit for heroes”: troops that had served in World War I. They were also for the heroines who had undertaken munitions and other war work. These homes raised the standards of house building and set minimum standards for space. Despite being proposed as a solution to slums, they were only affordable for the better-off working classes. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, one Oxford housebuilder responded to this in 1934 by erecting what became known as “<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2009/03/26/cutteslowe_feature.shtml">Cutteslowe Walls</a>” – two-metre high walls topped with iron spikes – to divide the residents of his private estate from what he termed “slum dwellers” of the local authority estate. Despite years of protests from the council estate tenants, the walls were not finally demolished until 1959.</p>
<p>The Colletts had only two children in contrast to their own families of six and seven children. The <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-0289.2007.00390.x">small family of two or three children</a> was typical of the respectable working and aspiring lower middle classes in the interwar years who sought to improve their standard of living and was also dictated by the size and number of bedrooms in the typical interwar semi.</p>
<h2>From ‘ideal’ homes to ‘real’ homes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267773/original/file-20190405-180041-1s3lsno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Front reception room at Rosamund Road, Wolvercote, 1995.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James R. Ryan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Houses such as Rosamund Road were rarely the riot of Art Deco that some museums would have you believe. In fact, there were remarkable consistencies in UK homes throughout the 20th century with furniture chosen to last and dark paint to hide the grime of everyday life. Fixture, fitting and furnishings often combined different styles and periods. For example, Rosamund Road had imagined historic “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175174211X13099693358717">Tudorbethan</a>” styles of furniture and “modernistic” linoleum, carpets, paint colours and wallpaper borders in its front reception room, kept for best as a parlour.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267774/original/file-20190405-180023-ilcd66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kitchen at Rosamund Road, Wolvercote, 1995.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James R. Ryan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a former V&A curator, I restored and curated Rosamund Road, living out a 1930s lifestyle. I turned the tiny lean-to “kitchenette” extension into an interwar ideal. It already had a deep Belfast sink accompanied by an enamel top table and a few shelves. I acquired an original <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/simonwilley/from-the-archive-of-easiwork-ltd/?lp=true">1930s Easiwork kitchen cabinet</a> with storage hidden behind its doors, incorporating a flour hopper and a metal-lined meat safe and a pull-down work surface. This was the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45427232">precursor</a> to fitted kitchens in Britain, which did not <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-making-of-the-modern-kitchen-9781859736999/">take off until the 1960s</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267776/original/file-20190405-180047-v5nhcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ravensworth Terrace, Newcastle, which stars in series two of BBC Two’s A House Through Time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">BBC Two</span>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A note of caution about gadgets and electrical appliances. Washing machines and refrigerators may have been available in 1934 but that does not mean their use was widespread. In fact, the most popular appliances were curling tongs and irons. And even in the case of the latter only about <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F0ZZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=zmroczek+weekly+wash&source=bl&ots=wWSQ4kiPR2&sig=ACfU3U3k7IC3hDZkLD8dy8B-6tAXSvAcrw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVoJj628DhAhWFyIUKHceKD20Q6AEwAnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=zmroczek%20weekly%20wash&f=false">a third</a> of households had one in the 1935. If households had income for the luxuries afforded by the convenience of electrical appliances they were more likely to spend it on a wireless – leisure was valued more than saving women’s labour.</p>
<p>Our houses hold the material evidence of their past residents in their bricks and mortar and the walls, floors, mouldings, fixtures, fittings and layout of their interiors. Imagining what they might have looked like and how they have changed through time gives us rich insights into social history. </p>
<p>For anybody who’s delved into family or house history, there is an extraordinary power in standing in the place where an event happened and wondering how the walls might talk. But for me, as an historian of design and everyday culture, the rituals of everyday life that our homes reveal are just as captivating and moving.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Sugg Ryan is series consultant and onscreen expert for A House Through Time, Twenty Twenty Television for BBC Two. She received funding from the British Academy for her research on the interwar home, published by Manchester University Press as Ideal Homes, 1918-39: Domestic Design and Suburban Modernism.
</span></em></p>
Some houses are like a time capsule of social history that can tell us how living standards, and fashions, have changed over the years.
Deborah Sugg Ryan, Professor of Design History & Theory, University of Portsmouth
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/113928
2019-03-26T15:05:34Z
2019-03-26T15:05:34Z
Why buildings keep collapsing in Lagos and what can be done about it
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264833/original/file-20190320-93057-1icra3v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Building collapses in Lagos have become common in recent years</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">BBC </span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>There’s been a spate of building <a href="http://saharareporters.com/2019/03/25/breaking-another-building-collapses-lagos-island-%E2%80%94-third-two-weeks">collapses</a> in Lagos, Nigeria. In some cases, people <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL8N2123RE">have died</a>. In one instance a <a href="http://thenationonlineng.net/updated-over-150-buildings-marked-for-demolition-in-lagos-island/">building had been marked for demolition</a> at least three times. There are also concerns about hundreds of other buildings in the city. The Conversation Africa’s Moina Spooner spoke to Ndubisi Onwuanyi about this.</em></p>
<p><strong>How common is this in Lagos? What causes these collapses?</strong></p>
<p>Building collapses in Lagos have become common in recent years. Numbers are hard to come by but a Lagos state of inquiry found that there were <a href="https://theeagleonline.com.ng/lagos-records-135-cases">at least</a> 135 cases between 2007 and 2013. In <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308962737_Construction_Failures_in_Lagos_MetropolisAn_insight_of_non-technical_issues">my research</a> I found that at least 50 of those happened during the construction phase. </p>
<p>Buildings collapse for various reasons; they can’t all be attributed to the same cause. </p>
<p>Some collapse after they’ve been completed and are in use; some collapse during the construction stage. Collapses during the construction phase are common because of the high rate of urban expansion, new construction and a lack of monitoring. </p>
<p>Most of the buildings that collapse are multi-storey, which suggests problems of soil structure – some buildings may have been built close to a swamp and so the soil is wet – and weak foundations. </p>
<p>Other reasons include the quality of building supervision by builders and officials, design of foundation and structure and poor materials. Developers will sometimes cut corners on the materials they use, refuse to follow due processes and use inadequately skilled and qualified personnel.</p>
<p>While these are all factors, I think the most critical issue is a lack of enforcement by officials. Effective enforcement would detect poor material and faulty designs. </p>
<p><strong>Who is responsible for regulating construction and are they doing a decent job?</strong></p>
<p>The Lagos State Building Control Agency, set up in 2010, is responsible for building regulation. Until 2010, the Development Control Department of the Ministry of Physical Planning was in charge of building regulation. </p>
<p>While failures are preventable, they cannot be entirely eliminated. But the persistence and frequency of collapses in Lagos means that not enough is being done. </p>
<p>In the recent building collapse, where the school was involved, <a href="https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/03/15/collapsed">officials say</a> the building was one of many that had been marked as unsafe years before. But no action had been taken. </p>
<p>Among the causes of this delayed action were lawsuits by the building’s owners to prevent its demolition. But this shouldn’t distract from the fact that officials failed to carry out their duty. They are responsible for the identification and removal of distressed buildings to prevent collapse. Officials also failed to enforce building control regulations during the construction phase.</p>
<p><strong>What else can be done?</strong></p>
<p>Lagos has all the appropriate laws. But it needs to adopt the right procedures and see them through. </p>
<p>There’s also a serious governance issue that must be addressed. Building control should be a local government responsibility – but in Nigeria it falls under the state government. </p>
<p>Nigeria currently runs a three-tier federal system made up of federal, state and local governments. As a result of constitutional reforms made between the 1970s and 1990s some of these tiers’ responsibilities were arbitrarily altered. The building control function was transferred from local to state governments. </p>
<p>But state officials are handicapped in enforcing building regulations. They’re located far away, in Ikeja which lies to the north of the state. This means they’re not familiar with residents and local officials or the situation on the ground. And even though there is a representative in each of the various local government councils, they don’t have enough personnel to effectively cover the whole state. </p>
<p>For example in 2015 I found that the agency had fewer than 300 staff to cater to a population of 21 million. In 2017, 200 more <a href="https://guardian.ng/property/lagos-recruits-200-building-control-officers/">were employed</a>, but this is still not enough. Proper monitoring and enforcement becomes an impossible task, particularly when there’s rapid urbanisation. </p>
<p>Building control must be returned to the local governments and they must ensure that they have enough qualified, quality personnel. </p>
<p>In addition to this, regulators must strictly monitor changes in the use of buildings. It’s common to find buildings in Lagos being used for other purposes than that which they were built. This may increase stress on the foundation of buildings. In this recent collapse, the building was not designed as a school. </p>
<p>Lastly, officials must conduct themselves in an ethical and professional way and ensure there’s no political interference in building regulation. Corruption is a major reason for the agency’s ineffectiveness, because officials may be reluctant to arrest or persecute violators or people responsible for collapses.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113928/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ndubisi Onwuanyi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Lagos has all the appropriate laws but it needs to adopt the right procedures and see them through.
Ndubisi Onwuanyi, Lecturer, University of Benin
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/106071
2018-12-19T19:07:41Z
2018-12-19T19:07:41Z
Building in ways that meet the needs of Australia’s remote regions
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250125/original/file-20181211-76965-i1rzd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Doing it locally: workers in the Gumatj timber workshop, Gunyangara.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Remote areas were described as “unused” and/or “underperforming” in a <a href="https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/events/mtalks-rem-koolhaas-and-david-gianotten-on-countryside">2017 address</a> by internationally renowned architects Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten of OMA. Similarly, a <a href="http://www.studio-basel.com/publications/books/switzerland-an-urban-portrait.html">2004 territorial study</a> of Switzerland by ETH Studio Basel, led by architecture firm Herzog & De Meuron, painted the entire country as an urban landscape except for the most remote alpine regions. These were classified as “fallow land” and/or “quiet places”.</p>
<p>It follows that building policies typically centralise decision-making, resources and projects in the largest population centres, irrespective of population distribution or remote community needs. The urban perspective through which building policies are largely determined fails to assess the value of remote regions beyond market-oriented economics. </p>
<p>For remote-dwelling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the land, or Country, is entwined with spiritual and cultural identity. It cannot be valued in market terms.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-wont-close-the-gap-if-the-commonwealth-cuts-off-indigenous-housing-support-91835">We won't close the gap if the Commonwealth cuts off Indigenous housing support</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A regional approach to building could meet remote community needs and bring about local economic development. It would also reinforce the <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/un-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples-1">United Nations-recognised right of Indigenous peoples</a> to maintain cultural connections to Country.</p>
<h2>What’s different about remote Indigenous settlement?</h2>
<p>Remote Australia cannot be viewed through the same lens as rural Australia. For a start, it has distinct settlement patterns. These are characterised by the presence of large numbers of Indigenous people, a widely dispersed population and, as population geographer <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296839023_Social_Engineering_and_Indigenous_Settlement_Policy_and_Demography_in_Remote_Australia">John Taylor describes it</a>, a “frequent” and “circular” internal mobility.</p>
<p>While just 1.4% of Australia’s population lives in remote areas, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2075.0Main+Features202016?OpenDocument">18.4% of Indigenous people do</a>. In remote areas, Aboriginal people are more likely to have experienced histories that enabled them to maintain connections to traditional Country. This has resulted in a proportionally greater recognition of Aboriginal land tenure under either the <a href="https://www.clc.org.au/index.php?/articles/info/the-aboriginal-land-rights-act/">Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976</a> or the <a href="https://auroraproject.com.au/what-native-title">Native Title Act 1993</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://empoweredcommunities.org.au/our-regions/north-east-arnhem-land/">Northeast Arnhem Land</a> in the Northern Territory is typical of this pattern. It is extremely remote and has a largely Indigenous population, with 67% identifying as Yolngu. </p>
<p>There are three main settlement types: a largely non-Indigenous mining town of 2,500 people, Nhulunbuy; a mostly Indigenous ex-mission settlement of around 850 people called Yirrkala; and more than 30 homelands across the territory located on traditional family clan lands with populations of up to 150, but typically fewer than 50 people. The people move often from place to place due to seasonal and cultural obligations and/or availability of access to services.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250119/original/file-20181211-76989-1qtidtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Northeast Arnhem land is extremely remote and has a largely Indigenous population living in three main settlement types.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Challenges of building remotely</h2>
<p>Physical distance and political marginalisation make it difficult and costly to advocate for building in remote regions generally, but Australia’s remote Indigenous regions face further challenges.</p>
<p>Restrictive Aboriginal land tenure limits opportunities for building and/or economic development. For instance, there is no housing market due to the inability to buy and sell recognised Aboriginal land. This means that, unlike in the rest of Australia, buildings do not represent an economic “improvement” to the land. </p>
<p>Furthermore, in Yirrkala, no houses were built in the first five years of the federal government’s Strategic Indigenous Housing Infrastructure Program (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Indigenous_Housing_and_Infrastructure_Program">SIHIP</a>) – later relabelled the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing (<a href="https://dcm.nt.gov.au/supporting-government/office-of-aboriginal-affairs/national-partnership-agreement-on-remote-indigenous-housing">NPARIH</a>) and then the National Partnership on Remote Housing (<a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/housing/national-partnership-agreements">NPRH</a>). This was because others contested Rirratjingu clans’ traditional ownership of parts of the township, which delayed decisions on where houses could be built.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250134/original/file-20181211-76989-1d42iyz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Materials are usually shipped in, but the Delta Reef Gumatj have begun building with locally made timber trusses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Economic development and job opportunities are also limited. A special agreement is required to establish an economic venture on Aboriginal land. Obtaining permission is costly and the process slow as extensive legal and anthropological work is required. </p>
<p>The result has been a dearth of local material and construction industries, and jobs, on remote Aboriginal land. Building materials are generally shipped in.</p>
<p>Collectively, these factors contribute to a reliance on government for investment in building. In Northeast Arnhem Land, the Australian or Northern Territory governments provide 95% of building funds.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250127/original/file-20181211-76959-d83srf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Government-funded housing under construction by DRG, Gunyangara.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Centralisation model dominates</h2>
<p>The policy position of Australian, state and territory governments has long been one of centralisation. Funding is concentrated on the largest population centres where there is a perceived availability of jobs and economies of scale.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=838&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=838&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250120/original/file-20181211-76971-1ch19ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=838&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Immediate housing need in Northeast Arnhem Land by number.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This position is upheld irrespective of identified building needs. For instance, in 2015 Nhulunbuy had 250 vacant houses after the Gove alumina refinery closed. There were shortfalls of 56 houses in Yirrkala and 81 houses across the Laynhapuy homelands. Yet 90% of government investment in building was in Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala, despite negligible need in Nhulunbuy and extensive need on the homelands.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250122/original/file-20181211-76956-13hfal9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The territorial distribution of capital works investment in Northeast Arnhem Land.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Northeast Arnhem Land experience aligns with that of other remote Indigenous regions. Homelands, in particular, have been chronically underfunded. After the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was abolished in 2005, state and territory governments largely assumed responsibility for infrastructure and services on homelands without allocating further funds for new housing. The Northern Territory government formalised this position in its <a href="https://dhcd.nt.gov.au/news/homelands-policy-review-opportunity-to-provide-your-feedback">Homelands Policy</a> and amendments to it in 2013.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250128/original/file-20181211-76989-18yshdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The stage structure at Baniyla Homeland is used as a house due to overcrowding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The situation is unlikely to change. If anything, it has intensified. In 2016, threats from the Western Australian government extended from ending new construction to <a href="https://regionalservicesreform.wa.gov.au/book/resilient-families-strong-communities-0#hb_page_95">ending basic services</a> to <a href="https://regionalservicesreform.wa.gov.au/book/resilient-families-strong-communities-0#hb_page_95">between 100 and 150 of its smallest homelands</a> (more commonly <a href="https://regionalservicesreform.wa.gov.au/p/roadmap">known as outstations in WA</a>).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-decides-a-question-at-the-heart-of-meaningful-reconciliation-41752">Who decides? A question at the heart of meaningful reconciliation</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Government building projects in remote Indigenous Australia have not only failed to align with needs but also have limited local economic development. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Queensland Research Centre <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/167">reports</a> criticised the <a href="http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090515044057/http://www.jennymacklin.fahcsia.gov.au/Internet/jennymacklin.nsf/content/new_alliance_09oct08.htm">alliancing procurement</a> methodology used in the SIHIP/NPARIH program because it allocated risk to the contractor. This knocked small-scale local contractors out of the tender process and resulted in limited use of local labour and materials.</p>
<h2>Four steps to better building policy</h2>
<p>Policy reforms could stimulate building in remote Indigenous regions. Reforms should focus on increasing local Indigenous input into decision-making. This is critical for identifying and responding to local needs. </p>
<p>From the most difficult to the easiest to enact, reform options could be:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>alignment with the <a href="https://www.1voiceuluru.org/the-statement">Uluru Statement from the Heart</a>, treaty or constitutional amendment to give Indigenous people “<a href="https://www.whitlam.org/whitlam-legacy-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/">their rightful place</a>”, as Gough Whitlam put it, at a national level with statutory decision-making authority over their lands</p></li>
<li><p>amend legislation to devolve decision-making to Indigenous people at a local regional level, as occurred in 2017 amendments to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 devolving these powers from the Northern Land Council to the Tiwi Land Council, Ngarrariyal Aboriginal Corporation and Baniyala Nimbarrki Land Authority, for self-determination of townships on their lands</p></li>
<li><p>restructure <a href="https://rda.gov.au/">Regional Development Australia</a> agencies to align with recognised territorial regions, as opposed to general population distribution, to foster best building practice and advocacy for local needs</p></li>
<li><p>do nothing but favour the specification of local suppliers (such as through the <a href="https://supplynation.org.au/">Supply Nation</a> network), materials (in Northeast Arnhem Land the Delta Reef Gumatj have begun building with locally made concrete blocks and timber trusses) and labour (through slow builds and the use of semi-skilled technological systems) at a project-by-project level.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250132/original/file-20181211-76980-1dgcb1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Self-funded Delta Reef Gumatj-built single men’s accommodation under construction, Gunyangara.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Robertson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-stop-innovating-in-indigenous-housing-and-get-on-with-closing-the-gap-96266">We need to stop innovating in Indigenous housing and get on with Closing the Gap</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These policy options are not necessarily mutually exclusive: where practicable they could be conducted in tandem or implemented in part.</p>
<p>The shift to a regional building approach does not require revolutionary change. Rather, it builds upon a remote region’s existing practices, knowledge and organisational systems by decentralising decision-making. </p>
<p>Building is not the panacea for the economic development challenges of remote Indigenous regions – it cannot employ every job seeker. But if building policy decision-making is regionally determined it can better align with community needs and contribute to local industry.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-communities-are-reworking-urban-planning-but-planners-need-to-accept-their-history-92351">Indigenous communities are reworking urban planning, but planners need to accept their history</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The Conversation is co-publishing articles with <a href="http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/community/futurewest">Future West (Australian Urbanism)</a>, produced by the University of Western Australia’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts. These articles look towards the future of urbanism, taking Perth and Western Australia as its reference point, with the latest series focusing on the regions. You can read other articles <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/future-west-30248">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106071/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Robertson works for Monash University.
</span></em></p>
Centralised policies are not meeting the needs of remote Indigenous settlements. Increasing their decision-making input and the role of local industry can overcome the challenges of building remotely.
Hannah Robertson, Innovation Fellow and Lecturer, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, Monash University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/82582
2018-11-19T11:36:59Z
2018-11-19T11:36:59Z
Domicology: A new way to fight blight before buildings are even constructed
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246033/original/file-20181116-194503-1553ppp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=133%2C39%2C2791%2C1793&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In recent years, Detroit has demolished thousands of abandoned homes annually.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Foreclosures-Michigan/a4ebb055899649cb9e996e1991fab176/1/0">AP Photo/Carlos Osorio</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Detroit has been demolishing <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2014/12/14/detroit-blight-duggan/20360959/">about 200 vacant</a> <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/16/michigan-detroit-blight-funding/20479333/">houses per week</a> since December 2014, with a <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/16/michigan-detroit-blight-funding/20479333/">goal to take down</a> <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/04/20/feds-expected-give-detroit-demolitions-another-boost/83270176/">6,000 houses in one year</a>. Much of the demolition work is <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2014/12/14/detroit-blight-duggan/20360959/">concentrated in about 20 neighborhoods</a> where the blight removal is projected to have immediate positive effects of improving remaining property values and clearing land for future development.</p>
<p>While Detroit may be an extreme example, economic decline, disinvestment, racial segregation and natural and human-made disasters have left <a href="https://www.curbed.com/2018/6/1/17419126/blight-land-bank-vacant-property">other American communities with unprecedented</a> amounts of structural debris, abandonment and blight, too.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=odXvvl8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">scholars</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1pS6CL4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra">who</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HIbvNzkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">focus</a> on understanding the complex circumstances that have led to blight, we also have some ideas about potential solutions that could prevent this cycle the next time around. </p>
<p>We’ve coined the term <a href="https://domicology.msu.edu">domicology</a> to describe our study of the life cycles of the built environment. It examines the continuum from the planning, design and construction stages through to the end of use, abandonment and deconstruction or reuse of structures.</p>
<p>Domicology recognizes the cyclical nature of the built environment. Ultimately we’re imagining a world where no building has to be demolished. Structures will be designed with the idea that once they reach the end of their usefulness, they can be deconstructed with the valuable components repurposed or recycled.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246034/original/file-20181116-194513-14hjnzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As people abandon homes the effects ripple through the community.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Detroit-Demolitions-Lead/86113ccfa72b47d689c5bacd78fc93e9/4/0">AP Photo/Carlos Osorio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Thinking about the end at the beginning</h2>
<p>The U.S. reached a <a href="http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/son2013.pdf">record high of 7.4 million abandoned homes</a> in 2012. When people leave homes, the local commercial economy falters, resulting in commercial abandonment as well. The social, environmental and economic consequences disproportionately affect already struggling communities. <a href="https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/07/vacancy-americas-other-housing-crisis/565901/">Abandoned buildings contribute</a> to lower property values and are associated with higher rates of crime and unemployment. Due to the scale of the problem, local governments are often unable to allocate enough resources to remove blighted structures.</p>
<p>All human-made structures have a life cycle, but rarely do people embrace this reality at the time of construction. The development community gives little thought to the end of life of a structure, in large part because the costs of demolition or deconstruction are <a href="https://domicology.msu.edu/Upload/forum1.pdf">passed on to some future public or private entity</a>.</p>
<p>Currently, <a href="https://detroitmi.gov/departments/detroit-building-authority/detroit-demolition-program">publicly financed demolition</a> and landfilling are the most frequent methods used to remove abandoned structures, but these practices <a href="https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/deconstruction-makes-sense-demolition">generate a huge amount of material waste</a>. Upwards of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lawrenceyun/2016/12/13/housing-shortage-for-how-long/#1526534f5ee4">300,000 houses are demolished annually</a>, which generates <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-07/documents/2015_smm_msw_factsheet_07242018_fnl_508_002.pdf">169.1 million tons of construction and demolition debris</a> – about 22 percent of the U.S. solid waste stream.</p>
<p>Here’s where a shift to a new domicology mindset can help. Unlike demolition, <a href="https://delta-institute.org/delta/wp-content/uploads/Delta-Decon-Flyer-2015.pdf">deconstruction</a> is a sustainable approach to systematically disassembling buildings, which can result in up to <a href="https://delta-institute.org/delta/wp-content/uploads/Delta-Decon-Flyer-2015.pdf">95 percent material reuse and recycling</a>. This method, however, may increase time and cost, while at the same time potentially creating a vibrant reuse market for salvaged materials.</p>
<p>Domicology’s comprehensive paradigm shift from landfill-dependent demolition waste streams to sustainable construction, deconstruction and material salvage will affect both methods of construction and the materials used. For example, in design and construction of structures, modular components tend to be easier to dismantle than “stick-built” methods. Construction techniques that rely more on connectors like screws instead of glues or nails mean dismantlers can remove materials with less damage, increasing the value of the salvaged material.</p>
<p><a href="https://domicology.msu.edu/upload/Material-Market-Study-web.pdf">On the materials side</a>, using salvaged wood products to create new structural wood products can reduce reliance on virgin timber, which has recently experienced <a href="http://eyeonhousing.org/2018/06/number-of-builders-reporting-framing-lumber-shortages-surges/">shortages and price fluctuations</a>. Salvaged concrete can be used as <a href="https://www.cement.org/learn/concrete-technology/concrete-design-production/recycled-aggregates">aggregate in new construction</a>. In some cases, even roof shingles can be <a href="http://asphaltmagazine.com/using-recycled-asphalt-shingles-in-asphalt-pavements/">melted for asphalt road surfacing</a>. In the Midwest, where there are substantial numbers of abandoned properties, an <a href="https://www.detroitresearch.org/pictures-of-a-city-scrappers/">underground “scrapper” economy has emerged</a> that salvages copper and other valuable metals from structures.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245646/original/file-20181114-194506-cuhlvh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To make deconstruction a viable alternative to demolition on a large scale, some things need to change.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.usafa.af.mil/USAFANews/Article/706952/alternative-spring-break-cadets-deconstruct-houston-home/">U.S. Air Force/John Van Winkle</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What needs to change?</h2>
<p>All of this requires forethought in recognizing that structures have an end of life. There is value in planning, designing and building in such a way that when a structure reaches the end of its usefulness, people can maximize the salvage of the materials removed from these structures. Creating a value in the end of life of a structure also decreases the likelihood of walking away from these valuable resources – reducing private sector abandonment in a community experiencing distress. </p>
<p><a href="https://domicology.msu.edu/upload/GuidetoLocalOrdinances_May2018.pdf">Governments can help by</a> putting in place policies, incentives and regulations to prevent abandonment and facilitate removal. Domicology will depend on figuring out the best processes and technologies for safe removal. Deconstructors will need to hire differently skilled laborers than for a standard demolition. And for domicology to work there will need to be a way to take the removed material to a place where it can be given a second life of some kind.</p>
<p>As with any paradigm shift, the most challenging issue is to change current mindsets. People need to leave behind a “build it, use it, demolish it” perspective and replace it with a “plan it, design it, build it, use it, deconstruct it and reuse the materials” view. Builders must imagine at the beginning of a structure’s life what will happen at the end of it.</p>
<h2>Economics do add up</h2>
<p>Our domicology team recently <a href="https://domicology.msu.edu/upload/MuskegonDeconstructionHubFinalReport.pdf">tested the economic feasibility</a> of using deconstruction practices rather than demolition as a way to reduce blight. We also wanted to explore how feasible it would be to establish a deconstruction-based repurposing economy.</p>
<p>Our findings suggest that the central collection, reuse and repurposing of material from legacy cities in the Great Lakes region is feasible with the help of specific policies, practices and targeted economic development strategies.</p>
<p>A crucial support would be a strong supply chain for salvaged materials. In Europe, California and the East Coast of the U.S., deconstruction firms can more easily acquire the material from blighted structures, access a skilled deconstruction labor force and use low-cost modes of transportation to move salvaged materials to processing facilities. All these advantages make deconstruction <a href="https://domicology.msu.edu/upload/Berghorn-DollarsandSenseofDomicology.pdf">cost-competitive in those regions</a> against demolition and disposal.</p>
<p>As a result of the work done so far, we and our colleagues have begun to incorporate the concepts and practices of domicology in <a href="https://schedule.msu.edu/CourseDesc.aspx?SubjectCode=PDC&CourseNumber=403&Term=1186">targeted courses for students</a>. By introducing this emerging science in the classroom, students here at Michigan State University are helping to pioneer a new 21st-century conception of a sustainable built environment.</p>
<p>As these ideas take hold and spread through planning, design, financing and construction industries, the goal is to prevent another blight epidemic like the one we see today in Detroit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82582/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rex LaMore receives funding from U. S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Rex LaMore is the recent Past President of the Michigan Association of Planning. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>George H. Berghorn receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service, the National Housing Endowment, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>M.G. Matt Syal receives funding from the National Association of Home builders, U.S. PA, U.S. HUD, U.S. DOC, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Govt. of Qatar, Takenaka Construction Co, Japan, and National Electrical Contractors Association. He is affiliated with Am Society of Civil Engineers, National Association of Home Builders, Associated Schools of Construction, </span></em></p>
By the time a building is abandoned and falls into disrepair, its community is already suffering. Michigan scholars suggest it’s time to plan for structures’ end of life before they even go up.
Rex LaMore, Director of the Center for Community & Economic Development and Adjunct Faculty in Urban and Regional Planning Program, Michigan State University
George H. Berghorn, Assistant Professor of Construction Management, Michigan State University
M.G. Matt Syal, Professor of Construction Management, Michigan State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/98112
2018-06-14T05:16:02Z
2018-06-14T05:16:02Z
Grenfell: a year on, here’s what we know went wrong
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223053/original/file-20180613-32310-90py5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Never to be repeated.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.epa.eu/disasters-photos/fire-accidents-general-photos/grenfell-photos-54404546">EPA/Neil Hall</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Grenfell Tower fire resulted in the greatest loss of life from a fire in Britain since World War II. A year on, we know that the fire’s rapid spread was at least partly due to the cladding that enveloped the building. Although a <a href="https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/">public inquiry</a> is ongoing, and we’re still waiting for the full results of forensic evidence, there is no doubt that changes are needed to prevent this catastrophe from happening again. </p>
<p>This includes new regulation for high-rise buildings and the use of flammable materials in their construction. In addition, experts and researchers in fire safety need to work more closely with the government and construction companies. More immediately, for <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/london-rsquo-s-deadly-grenfell-tower-fire-building-material-now-leading-suspect/">buildings similar to Grenfell</a>, that were built according to old regulations, simple and immediate actions should take place now. Evacuation routes, sprinklers and fire retardant materials need to be installed as quickly as possible. </p>
<h2>Construction problems</h2>
<p>Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 and contained 120 flats, housing between 400 and 600 people. It was like a small vertical village. In 2016, the building was refurbished at a cost of £8.6m and this was when the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44368082">cladding was introduced</a>.</p>
<p>From the first media reports on the morning of June 14 2017, <a href="https://www.theengineer.co.uk/grenfell-fire-highlights-serious-failure/">engineers</a> and <a href="https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/material-lessons-from-grenfell/3007695.article">scientists</a> raised concerns over how quickly the fire spread, especially on the outside of the building.</p>
<p>It seemed that the fire was unable to be contained within a compartment. The <a href="http://www.lwf.co.uk/bulletin/fire-precautions-compartmentation/">concept of compartmentation</a> in fire engineering is widely used in constructing buildings. By adding fire barriers, often fire resistant doors, fires are supposed to stop spreading quickly and so allow time for evacuation and treatment. But at Grenfell this did not happen, the fire quickly found access to the outer side of the building. Something had gone horribly wrong and the fire safety advice to residents to stay inside has since <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/19/grenfell-tower-fire-tests-cladding-unsafe-fire-brigade-advice-to-flee">come under scrutiny</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222964/original/file-20180613-32323-fj57cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The flammable cladding was instrumental in the fire spreading so quickly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69057297@N04/35353492476">Flickr/ChiralJohn</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Immediately, the focus was put on the new exterior skin (cladding), which not only <a href="https://theconversation.com/fact-check-is-the-type-of-cladding-used-on-grenfell-tower-actually-banned-in-britain-79803">contained flammable materials</a> (polyethylene insulation covered by thin aluminium sheets that buckle in high temperatures and expose the internal material to flames) but was also installed onto the existing incombustible reinforced-concrete structure, in a way that left a gap between the facade and the building’s structure. This enabled what is known as the “chimney effect”. Put simply, the gap between the facade and the structural skeleton of the building meant that the fire sought oxygen and quickly travelled vertically, while burning more of the flammable skin. </p>
<p>It seems that the facade system, even if it was designed according to some regulations, did not perform properly. Such a catastrophic failure can never be the result of one single factor but rather was a chain of unforeseen events happening all at the same time. </p>
<h2>Making sure it doesn’t happen again</h2>
<p>Materials are still being fire-tested and several blocks remain evacuated. But although <a href="https://www.newcivilengineer.com/business-culture/grenfell-revisions-to-buildings-regs-advice-set-for-consultation/10028471.article">changes to building regulations</a> are likely, these changes have yet to happened. This is partly because of the sheer complexity of the issue. </p>
<p>But some of <a href="https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/riba-submits-evidence-and-recommendations-to-review-of-building-regulations-and-fire-safety">the regulations</a> that need to be implemented are clear. For a start, each type of building should be designed or refurbished with the appropriate regulation. So for example, all buildings that are higher than five stories ought to be provided with alternative evacuation routes such as more (or external) staircases, be equipped with sprinklers, and only be allowed to use fire-retardant materials, such as cementitious boards, ceramics, or glass facades. </p>
<p>Buildings like Grenfell should further be equipped with more sophisticated early warning systems that can detect the smoke and fire early enough. Not only could these systems set the alarm on and activate the sprinklers, but they could also restrict the fire within an area by making the building “active”. This could include automatically closing windows and self-controlled ventilation systems and elevators.</p>
<p>Another major positive change for tall residential buildings, would be the increasing use of <a href="http://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/2280-performance-based-fire-engineering-in-the-uk.pdf">performance-based fire resistance</a> design. This is when each particular building is designed so that it performs under certain safety and strength criteria, allowing engineers to fully understand how the building will respond thermally and structurally to a fire incident.</p>
<p>Currently in the UK, for some buildings a general prescriptive-based approach is followed, which simply states how a building is to be constructed. The problem with prescriptive guidelines is that engineers ignore the actual response of the building and the effect of real fires, making the level of safety and robustness an unknown. Although this might be more costly in time and expense, when you have so many people living in one building it is necessary.</p>
<p>Each building design is also a different entity with its own limitations. So each building should be treated accordingly.</p>
<h2>Collaboration and communication</h2>
<p>Forensic evidence is still being collected and preserved. Once all the evidence is in, researchers and investigators will be able to review the causes and reasons why the fire spread in more detail. But right now we still do not have a deep enough understanding of the flammability of the facade systems, or the toxicity of the materials used.</p>
<p>Once we do, collaboration between academic researchers and companies producing cladding and other construction materials will be key. This is the only way of ensuring that products are developed to meet or exceed rigorous safety standards when put under pressure. This will be crucial for giving housing residents and the public greater confidence. Better communication between building regulators, local authorities, manufacturers, developers, and designers is also important. </p>
<p>We must start rehabilitating tall residential buildings as soon as possible, before another disaster occurs. And out of this tragedy, must come long lasting changes to the design of buildings, the construction materials used, and the way they are applied.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/98112/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Konstantinos Daniel Tsavdaridis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A year on what do we know about how the Grenfell fire spread? And what changes need to happen to make sure there is never a repeat?
Konstantinos Daniel Tsavdaridis, Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.