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Summary - Sustainability and Circularity in Civil Engineering
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Sustainability & Circularity in Civil Engineering Summary (2020 – 2021)Sustainability & Circularity in Civil Engineering
Introduction, Challenges and issues faced by Civil Engineering Infrastructure
Lecture 1: “Introductory lecture”
Sustainability is (according to ASCE) “a set of economic, environmental and social conditions in which
all of society has the capacity and opportunity to maintain and improve its quality of life without
degrading the quantity, quality or the availability of economic, environmental and social resources.”
Sustainable Development (SD): “Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
Sustainable Development vs Sustainability
Sustainable development is the pathway to sustainability
Sustainability as the quality and sustainable as something that has the capacity for
continuance
Therefore… sustainability is not an end state: it is a process of evolution towards the more
sustainable
Pursuit of sustainability; “The question is not: ‘Have you achieved sustainable development?’
The answer is always NO!” The question is: “Are you moving toward it continuously?”
In this course we focus especially on no. 9 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGS) this is “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure”.
Why do we need an evolution towards a more sustainable manner of living?
More than ½ of all the concrete ever used was produced in the past 20 years.
Sustainable Construction: “Construction practices able to assist in (1) building infrastructures, (2)
preserving and restoring surrounding ecosystems, (3) meeting basic human needs such as equity,
employment, health, safety, and happiness, and (4) managing resources wisely (including, but not
limited to, money).”
Sustainable approaches in engineering: A civil engineer needs to understand and/or consider when
looking for solutions to deliver sustainable infrastructure projects:
- Use life cycle methodologies to quantify the economic, environmental, and social effects of
the project
- Use resources wisely
- Reduce waste
- Plan for resiliency
- Validate application of principles
- Adopt circularity principles
Linear Economy: Take ---> Make ---> Use ---> Dispose
- Resources will enviably be depleted
- Disposal damages environment
Circular Economy: Take ---> Make ---> Use ---> Reuse ---> Remake ---> Recycle
Page 1 of 23
,Sustainability & Circularity in Civil Engineering Summary (2020 – 2021)
Sustainability approaches in engineering. The overarching goal is to generate a balanced solution to
any engineering problem.
Traditional Engineering:
- Considers the object or process
- Focuses on technical issues
- Solves the immediate problem
- Considers the local context
- Assumes others will deal with political, ethical, and societal issues
Sustainable Engineering:
- Considers all the systems which the object or process will be used
- Considers both technical and non-technical issues synergistically
- Strive to solve the problem for the long-term
- Considers the global context
- Recognize the need to interact with experts in other disciplines related to the problem
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) refers to the evaluation of all environmental, social, and
economic negative impacts and benefits in decision-making processes towards more sustainable
products throughout their life cycle.
LCC = Life Cycle Costing
SLCA = Social Life Cycle Assessment
LCA = Life Cycle Assessment
LCSA = Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment
MADM = Multiple Attribute Decision-making
Sustainability Assessment Methods (MADM-based LCSA)
Page 2 of 23
, Sustainability & Circularity in Civil Engineering Summary (2020 – 2021)
Circular Economy and Circularity
Lecture 1: “Circular Economy, Circular economy in the construction sector,
and Circular economy principles”
Understanding principles of circular economy:
“The circular economy is an economic and industrial system that is restorative and regenerative by
design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and
value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles.” – Ellen MacArthur
Foundation (2014)
Linear vs. Circular Economy
In the linear economy there are different types of waste disposal:
- Disposal (Landfill/Incineration)
- Backfill
- Recycling
Five priority sectors where circularity can make the difference:
1. Consumer goods
2. Construction
3. Plastics
4. Biomass and food
5. Manufacturing
Why the construction is targeted by circular economy:
- CO2 emission
- Use of much raw materials
- Demolition after lifespan (reducing volume of construction waste)
- Energy consumption
Page 3 of 23
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