search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
8 NEWS


As with recycling, some construction products and systems are more adaptable to reuse than others and “therefore designers should be encouraged to think not only about how their buildings can be easily and effectively constructed, but also how they can be efficiently deconstructed in the long-term. This is a new discipline for most designers.”


The process is straightforward. For example, deconstructed sections are inspected and tested to verify their dimensional and strength properties. The section is then shot or sand blasted to remove any coatings, refabricated and primed to the requirements of the new project. “There is, however, significant scope for


STEEL


Steel, sustainability and the circular economy


The Light Steel Frame Association (LSFA) is “on a mission to ensure that all construction professionals are fully aware of the sustainability benefits and recognise that steel is the only permanent building material in the circular economy”. When considering sustainability in construction, said the LSFA, “steel may not be the first building material that comes to mind.” However it added: “After water, steel is the most recycled product on our planet, with research showing that 99 per cent of structural steelwork is reused or recycled.” A sustainable circular economy reduces the burden on nature by ensuring resources remain in use as long as possible. Steel is fundamental in achieving a circular economy – components can be manufactured, reused or recycled. With a long service life, we may have to wait a hundred years or more for steel that is in use today to be recycled or reused. Steel is a vital material in the history of construction


WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK


and although it may not be in our lifetime, every single element can be repurposed.


Design for reuse


It is estimated that the UK construction industry consumes some 420 metric tons of materials annually and generates some 90 metric tons of waste of which 25 metric tons ends up in landfill. So, there is significant scope for improving resource efficiency within the industry. “Recycling is the mantra of the 21st century and rightly so, but reuse for its original or similar purpose without vastly altering the physical form, is not top of the construction sustainability agenda,” said LSFA. As distinct from recycling, reuse of construction products involves their repurposing with little or no reprocessing. Reuse offers even greater environmental advantages than recycling since there is no, or few environmental impacts associated in reprocessing.


increasing reuse of steel construction products and work is underway within the sector to promote and facilitate this,” said LSFA. “The proportion of recovered products that are reused will increase as design for deconstruction is better understood and a stronger market for reusable steel construction products is stimulated. The ability of the steel sector to facilitate these advantageous processes has been enhanced by the standardisation of components and connections.” Research carried out by the LSFA's technical partner, the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) has estimated that there are around 100 million tonnes of steel in buildings and infrastructure in the UK. “This ‘stock’ of steel is an important and valuable material asset that will be reclaimed and either reused or recycled in the future.”


The Light Steel Frame Association “fully supports the Protocol for Reusing Structural Steel produced by the SCI”. It added: “This valuable research concludes that the environmental advantages of reusing reclaimed structural steel are considerable. There are also potential cost savings. This protocol recommends data collection, inspection and testing to ensure that reclaimed structural steelwork can be used with confidence in a new context. The LSFA concluded: “There is growing pressure on the construction industry to be more resource efficient, reduce waste and to lower embodied carbon impacts. More recently, circular economy concepts are being promoted, with a roadmap developed to support a shift towards a resource efficient, low carbon economy. Increased structural steel reuse will support these aims and stimulate new business opportunities in the UK.”


ADF OCTOBER 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52