Title: From The “Old” To A “New” Construction Industry - Sustainability Design Of Structures

Author(s): Koji Sakai

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 305

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 40.1-40.8

Keywords: Carbon dioxide; concrete; construction industry; economy; energy; environment; natural resources; safety; sustainability design

DOI: 10.14359/51688603

Date: 9/1/2015

Abstract:
The Industrial Revolution in the middle of the 18th century determined mankind’s destiny. The mass production of goods increased the population at an accelerated rate, and, consequently, mankind is facing the risk of natural resources and energy depletion. The greatest challenge to mankind in this century is to ensure the sustainability of the “inhabitants” of the Earth. The basis of mankind’s social and economic activities is infrastructure and buildings. As a result, the construction industry has a far greater influence on the sustainability of mankind and the Earth. Unfortunately, the construction industry has little appreciation of these facts. In order to change from the “old” industry to a “new” industry, the concept of “sustainability” should be introduced as a fundamental idea. The fundamental aspects for considering the sustainability of mankind and the Earth are society, economy, and environment. The essence of the construction industry can be appreciated from these views. There exists interconnection among safety, cost, and environmental impact. In the existing “old” construction engineering, this interconnection is not dealt with systematically. This paper outlines the background on the necessity to introduce a “sustainability” philosophy into the construction sector and proposes a basic framework for sustainability design as a “new” design system