The Pivotal Role Engineers Play in Mitigating Climate Change
In topics surrounding climate change, many people point fingers to manufacturers, factories and other companies that have greatly contributed to the overall accumulation of pollution and urging most of them to turn to environmental-friendly plans and actions for long-term development.
Argus Builders, a team of engineers and architects who do design and build, is working on becoming one of the leading eco-friendly construction companies in Mindanao with our goals targeted into contributing to our planet’s wellness.
“Infrastructure construction, operation and use generate more carbon produced today, so there is no avoiding the responsibility of engineers to play their part in driving change.”, Argus Builders Senior Engineer Aldrich Morante said.
Here are some construction environmental tips from Davao’s leading construction firm, Argus Builders:
Keep carbon reduction on every project agenda
Morante said that most project designs were finalised long before current carbon commitments were undertaken. Contracts are in place and investment has been made. What’s more, provision may be based on societal expectations or ways of life that are themselves unfit for a lower-carbon future.
However it's never too late to put carbon on the project agenda.
“You don’t necessarily have to be a technological innovator to make a difference – you just need to understand what you're looking for, and the seriousness of the requirement that you do so. Be prepared to do something small, rather than nothing at all.” he added.
Civil engineers designed the infrastructure that has enabled the lives of comfort and convenience that people have grown used to, but that has since proved to carry a high environmental cost. Now it's time to adapt and move forward, building new lives that people have not yet imagined. Shifts from road to rail, from water wastage to conservation, from single use to re-use, from fossil fuels to renewables rely on the work of engineers.
Using technology to monitor structural safety
Considering the rapid pace of climate change and the prevalence of extreme events, Morante said we are now in the position of not, with a comfortable degree of certainty, being able to predict a building’s performance from historic data.
However, a possible solution to maintaining safety without specifying monstrous dimensions may therefore lie in the burgeoning discipline of structural health monitoring.
“Low-cost sensors, placed throughout a structure, can monitor the condition of embedded reinforcement, accelerations within the structure (e.g. under wind loads) and the formation and propagation of cracks, amongst many other indicators of damage,” Morante said.
However, our approach to building design must adapt, just as the structure’s design must be adapted to suit its new climatic loads. Structures must be designed to be monitored, like providing inspection and repair access to key elements, and a culture of maintenance must be created.
Argus Builders invites other firms to practice best construction company practices for a healthier planet. With our team of engineers and architects, every decision and action considers the environment. Reach us now at info@argusbuilders.com or call us at +639176267175 NOW.