Editorial

Problems, challenges and opportunities for UK civil engineers involved in urban design and planning

Carbon footprint

Carbon footprin

The future(s) of construction: a sustainable built environment for now and the future

The global construction industry creates high-profile structures and critical infrastructure systems, yet is frequently rebuked for its frequent poor performance and lack of forward thinking and future planning. Looking to the future, the industry is likely to be driven by a combination of evolving national and international policy on sustainability, the legacy of the local and global economic problems and the increasing pace of technological innovation. In the longer term, a more complicated and inter-related collection of drivers is at play, including demographic shifts, policy and societal evolutions, energy and water security, as well as sustainability pressures such as the changing climate and its effect on the resilience of our critical infrastructures. A more futures-orientated and inter-connected approach to global construction, projects and practices, is therefore required in order to create a truly sustainable industry, and hence planet, for all. Only by planning ahead for the longer term, and working together at a local and global level, can the global construction industry hope to move forwards collectively to creating a truly sustainable and resilient built environment, fit for purpose, fit for now, but also fit for the long term

Editorial

Editoria

Home energy rating systems

Home energy rating system

Editorial

Editoria

Zero-energy building

Zero-energy buildin

Carbon footprint calculator

Carbon footprint calculato

Forecasting

Forecastin

Development of self-compacting concrete

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) can be defined as a fresh concrete which possesses superior flowability under maintained stability (i.e. no segregation) thus allowing self-compaction-that is, material consolidation without addition of energy. It was first developed in Japan in 1988 in order to achieve durable concrete structures by improving quality in the construction process. This was also partly in response to the reduction in the numbers of skilled workers available in the industry. This paper outlines a brief history of SCC from its origins in Japan to the development of the material throughout Europe. Research and development into SCC in the UK and Europe are discussed, together with a look at the future for the material in Europe and the rest of the world. Research and development of SCC is being conducted by private companies (mainly product development), by universities (mainly pure research into the material's properties), by national bodies and working groups (mainly the production of national guidelines and specifications) and at European level (Brite-EuRam and RILEM projects on test methods and the casting of SCC, respectively). Although SCC is not expected to ever completely replace conventionally vibrated concrete, the use of the material in both the precast and ready-mix markets in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world is expected to continue to increase as the experience and technology improves, the clients demand a higher-quality finished product and the availability of skilled labour continues to decrease