Resilience, a pre-requisite for sustainability
Climate change is increasing ambient temperatures and the incidences of extreme weather events. Both of these are forecast to increase the incidence of corrosion of rebar in concrete. It is reported that there are $2.7 trillion of repairs required to infrastructure. Buildoffsite is producing a collaborative report with Mott MacDonald, C-Probe Systems and a number of major pre-casters to look at how structures can be designed, manufactured and constructed to maximise long term resilience. It is well understood that concrete has a high embedded carbon content. This needs to be protected so as to avoid expensive repairs, premature demolition or even catastrophic failure. This report will provide guidance on making future structures more resilient so as to reduce whole life cost and carbon, as demanded by both the Construction Playbook and a considered approach to construction sustainability.
C-Probe is doing exactly this with their low carbon AACM anode mortar and the company’s digital monitoring, control and management technology to be retrofitted on a multi-million-dollar project in New York City over the next 2 years.
Teaming up with designer, Mott MacDonald, the project will see a large plaza deck and support beams and columns within an undercover parking facility protected from corrosion for at least the next 50 years, saving embodied carbon and reporting performance of this extension to service life for the owner in the decades to come – an underpinning of asset value.
The RIBA DfMA Overlay update
Buildoffsite is supporting the Supply Chain School and the RIBA with the review of the DfMA Overlay, and its associated guide, following the update of the RIBA Plan of Work in 2020. The revised guidance is due to be published in the autumn.
Offsite Maturity Assessment Tool
The Supply Chain School is reviewing the way its members self-assess their maturity with respect to offsite knowledge and skills. We are working closely with them on behalf of the offsite sector. Good progress is being made, with the new tool expected to provide a more nuanced analysis.
BS 5606 Accuracy and tolerance in design and construction – Guide
The revision of BS5606 is at the public review stage. Members are encouraged to provide their input. You can access the BSI review system here:
https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/2018-03537