The Sustainable Concrete initiative under Dansk Industri’s Dansk Beton has prepared a proposal for an industry guide on design optimization of concrete structures. The idea behind the industry guide is to point out opportunities to save on materials and at the same time to bring new CO2-reduced concrete types into concrete construction.
The complexity of construction projects is often decisive for whether the technical options can be used, the draft of the industry guidance states.
Basis for contracts
Dansk Beton proposes that the industry guidelines be used as a basis for new contracts. It will ensure that concrete structures are optimized to meet the set functional requirements with the lowest possible CO2 footprint. At the same time, the new guidance is a response to the new Building Regulations (BR23), which, among other things, requires a declaration of the construction’s CO2 emissions throughout the building’s lifetime.
The concrete industry must be restructured
There is no doubt that the cement and concrete industry must be converted to production with a significantly lower CO2 footprint in order to meet future wishes and demands for a total reduction of CO2 emissions. Much research, development and innovation are currently underway to reduce emissions from this industry. The potential for significant CO2 reductions is great, even if the actual breakthrough in the transition is some years into the future. In the coming years, when emissions will still be high from cement and concrete, it is, therefore, necessary that all measures are put in place to reduce material consumption as much as possible when building in concrete, states the outline for a new industry guide.
CO2 as important as time and money
CO2 emissions and resource consumption are now and in the future just as important as time and costs when designing, producing and building concrete structures. Therefore, the concrete industry must change the way they design buildings and facilities, produce materials and implement their constructions.
Recycling is better
The biggest savings on the CO2 account are logically achieved by reusing materials instead of making new ones. According to the industry guidance, you must therefore take the existing building in relation to the design of the new one, if you can. On the other hand, the big gains on the CO2 account are not achieved if you crush concrete and use it as a replacement for sand and stone in the new concrete – although this is of course a resource-saving that can also save some transport of aggregate, writes Dansk Beton in the hearing draft for a new industry guideline.
The consultation deadline expires on Monday
Høringsfristen udløber mandag den 12. december. Dansk Beton har allerede fået en hel del tilbagemeldinger på oplægget, men man kan altså stadig nå at være med, hvis man spidser pennen.
