Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
buildings from 2019, which involve considerable future impli-
cations for both new and existing buildings and the associated
building envelopes. It is envisaged that there will be an important
future role for the designer/structural engineer in achieving a sat-
isfactory and potentially innovative balance between embodied
and operational 'carbon'. Furthermore, as operational 'carbon'
reduces to low levels in the future, the relative importance of
embodied carbon will increase. Thus in the future, designers will
be in the forefront of the quest to find appropriate design and
engineering solutions that combine low embodied carbon with
adequate durability for the potential long intended service life of
the assets concerned. This is expected to be a challenging task
If carbon trading is introduced more widely in the future, it
is expected to become a significant influence upon the selec-
tion of design solutions.
The adoption of BIM is expected to drive significant change
in the UK construction industry. The UK government initia-
tive proposes a phased take-up of BIM over a five-year period
starting in 2011.
5.7.4 Influence of climate change - a future need to
adapt buildings
Whilst the UK construction industry is already working to
make buildings more energy efficient, the expected changes in
the climate over the next 100 years mean that there will be a
need to adapt our existing and new buildings to cope with the
changed conditions. For example, it has been suggested that
the UK could be faced with:
Wetter winters and drier summers in every part of the UK, with
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potential implications for surface water run-off, groundwater con-
ditions and foundation performance.
A decrease in average summer rainfall in the south-east of the
5.7.3 The adoption of building information modelling
(BIM)
Building information modelling (BIM) has many different fac-
ets and potential uses. At its heart is a digital model of the
building or constructed asset which brings together all the rele-
vant information associated with the design, construction and
through-life management of such assets. The information can
be readily shared, updated and interrogated by all those con-
cerned with the project, with all the relevant data being held in
one 'data environment'.
BIM enables attributes to be assigned to elements of the
asset defining their characteristics and their relationship to
other elements, as well as the ability to bring together mul-
tiple data sources to provide a comprehensive representation
of the asset in question. In principle, BIM can be used for all
stages of a construction project, from cradle to grave or cradle
to cradle. Potentially this might involve all through-life activ-
ities from compliance checking, 'clash' identification, design,
environmental impact and/or embodied carbon analysis to con-
struction planning, procurement management, facilities man-
agement post-construction, decommissioning, dismantling or
demolition. In essence, BIM is a single-source coordinated
information set. Accordingly it is more than just the geometric
information contained in a three-dimensional computer-aided
design (3D CAD) model.
The UK government has indicated that it intends to adopt
BIM for the procurement and management of public assets. It
sees BIM as a means of improving the effectiveness of these
processes and reducing costs. Reports in the technical press
suggest that currently only about one-third of the UK construc-
tion industry has adopted it. Other countries are embracing this
technology. Since 2007, Denmark and Finland have required
BIM to be used on all public sector construction projects.
Take-up of BIM is reportedly higher in the USA than in the
UK and Western Europe; for example, the US Coast Guard
and the General Services Administration both require BIM to
be used for certain functions. In the USA, most BIM adoption
has occurred since 2007.
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UK of about 20%; the south-east is an area that is already water-
stressed and already needs to reduce water usage.
An increase in average winter rainfall in the north-west of the UK
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of about 16%, with increases in the amount of rain on the wettest
days leading to a higher risk of flooding.
A rise in sea level by up to 36 cm, affecting coastal areas and tidal
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zones of rivers.
As a result significant changes are planned for standards and
regulations for buildings. Accordingly there will be a need for
the construction industry to develop approaches for the adapta-
tion of buildings to respond to these forthcoming changes. These
issues will affect both proposed low impact buildings and exist-
ing buildings that are to be refurbished to low impact standards.
Owners and their professional teams will need to consider
a range of issues associated with the adaptation of buildings
to meet the potential requirements of future climate change.
Potential questions include:
What is the current risk exposure for the building to projected
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future climate change?
What is the best way to adapt specific buildings, now and in the
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future, to improve resilience to climate change and thus extend
their commercial viability?
On what basis will decisions be made about implementing adap-
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tation measures?
What is the best way to undertake adaptation work?
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5.8 References
Anderson, J., Shiers, D. and Steele, K. (2009).
The Green Guide to
Specification,
4th edition. BRE Report BR501. Watford, UK: IHS-
BRE Press/Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Atkinson, C., Yates, A. and Wyatt, M. (2009).
Sustainability in
the Built Environment: An Introduction to its Definition and
Measurement.
Building Research Establishment Report BR502.
Watford, UK: IHS-BRE Press.
