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MODULE 3 - CIVIL ENGINEERING, SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FUTURE
This module will walk you through the trends of Civil Engineering development.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
- Understand the importance of sustainable development.
- Appreciate the works of Civil Engineers in promoting sustainable development.
The Sustainable Development Commission defines sustainable development itself as the development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This Module reiterated that civil engineers must always promote sustainable development at all cost. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) civil engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties. Amidst the onslaught of climate change and global warming, civil engineers should fulfill their duties on building a progressive world while ensuring its habitability through sustainable plans and actions.
For the classwork assignment of this module, I found the above video to be comprehensive on discussing the roles of civil engineers in sustainable development as stated on its title. It enumerated the various roles of the different branches of civil engineering in terms of designing for safety of every infrastructure. The goals of ecological sustainability were also discussed as well as the goals of construction including achieving safety and sustainability.
Structural and construction engineers design and build houses and structures to withstand environmental loads such as gravity, earthquakes, wind, temperature, and other external factors in order to protect life or limb, property, and public welfare. Bridges are built and engineered to withstand traffic and external pressures, ensuring safe and comfortable travel for people and vehicles. Geotechnical engineers examine soil and foundations to ensure that constructions placed on or against them are sound and stable. Transportation engineers design and manage transport services to transfer people and commodities safely, efficiently, and without mishaps from one site to another by land, sea, or air. Water resource engineers develop innovative methods of delivering safe, potable drinking water. Infrastructures are created and built to use water for agriculture and electricity generation. Flood control structures are built to safeguard people and property from the destructive impacts of floods.
The maintenance or restoration of the composition, structure, and activities of ecosystems, including the variety of plant and animal populations and the productive capability of ecological systems, is characterized as ecological sustainability. According to the video, ecological sustainability has three goals and they are the following:
- Protection of human health deals with human toxicity of building materials, reduction of pollutants, sick building syndrome among others;
- Protection of the ecosystem includes waste avoidance, reduction of emissions and pollutants and proper and efficient land use; and
- Protection of natural resources deals with resource efficiency, energy use and recycling.
Infrastructure development is linked to ecological sustainability. Civil engineers, as important stakeholders in infrastructure development and the construction sector, must engage in construction activities that contribute to environmental sustainability. Aside from increasing the structure's serviceability, durability and reliability throughout its entire life, construction must also address the following goals:
- Decrease exhausting of primary raw materials and energy,
- Regulate consumption of renewable resources, and
- Decrease the amount of harmful emissions and wastes.
Furthermore, obtaining safety and sustainability is a significant difficulty in areas or nations that are subject to natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, floods, volcanic eruptions, drought, and tsunamis. Infrastructures that are prone to these threats become inoperable, rendering them ineffective. Because these natural risks and phenomena are beyond our control, the most we can do is mitigate their potential consequences through civil engineering. Impacts are determined by the level of safety offered to safeguard people, assets, and infrastructures, as well as the sustainability aspects that protect human health, resources, and the ecosystem.
"Sustainability is 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 indefinitely without degrading the quantity, quality or the availability of economic, environmental and social resources "(American Society of Civil Engineers). More so, Sustainable Development is defined by the Brundtland Commission Report as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) introduced Principles of Sustainable Development in which civil engineers shall be committed.
PRINCIPLE 1
A proposed project's economic, environmental, and social effects on each of the communities served and effected must be assessed and understood by all stakeholders before there is a decision to proceed with a project. Consider non-structural as well as structural to the needs being addressed.
PRINCIPLE 2
The civil engineer must actively involve stakeholders and ensure that the public understands and accepts the economic, environmental, and social costs and benefits of a project. To advance toward sustainable conditions, engineers must design and implement projects that address sustainability holistically rather than simply slapping a few green elements on top of a standard project.
Aside from following the aforementioned principles, a civil engineer must also comply to the ASCE Code of Ethics which states that "engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties". Meanwhile, as part of our coursework assignments we had watched educational videos showcasing infrastructures which adopted sustainability.
The video unveiled the Sustainable City of Dubai which is the first operational net zero energy city in the emirate modeled to become an international showcase for high quality sustainable living. It was really mesmerizing watching a fully-developed city encompassing their three-tiered approach namely, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, and economic sustainability. Social sustainability is achieved by a plethora of facilities and community involvement activities. Environmental sustainability is maintained by passive and active design techniques, as well as strategic collaborations with an individual focus on each facet of sustainability. Economic sustainability is supported through taking advantage of operational advantages and passing on the savings of their residents, in addition to a variety of offers aimed to give back to their community.
This building introduced some of the net-zero and green buildings in the world. Among those revealed, I was more surprised with the Crystal in London built by Siemens which establishes the benchmark for sustainable building design, achieving the Platinum LEED and Outstanding BREEAM accreditation – the most rigorous standards for sustainable design. This building is saving 71% of carbon dioxide compared to an equivalent building and £500,000 of energy cost every year. See? It's unbelievable but it's real. Just imagine if all of the buildings in a city are net-zero and green buildings, then we will have another sustainable city just like in Dubai. And if all cities apply this idea of sustainability, then we will have the much awaited sustainable world to live in.
REFLECTION
In this module, sustainability was reiterated multiple times. I learned how important sustainability is especially in this time of pandemic which seems that nature is revenging with all the activities we did that destroyed and degraded her beauty. Indeed, civil engineers play an important role in promoting sustainable development. Since they design and build infrastructures, they should bear in mind that sustainability should always be incorporated in every project they do. Also, they must follow the principles of sustainable development which are doing the right project and doing the project right. Do the right project by considering and assessing the economic, environmental, and social effects the project can bring to the stakeholders. Do the project right by securing public understanding and addressing sustainability holistically. Yet, this is not just about the engineers. Everybody must contribute in attaining sustainable development since it is a global responsibility. Always remember that "sustainability is no longer about doing less harm, it is about doing more good" (Jochen Zeitz).
In this module, sustainability was reiterated multiple times. I learned how important sustainability is especially in this time of pandemic which seems that nature is revenging with all the activities we did that destroyed and degraded her beauty. Indeed, civil engineers play an important role in promoting sustainable development. Since they design and build infrastructures, they should bear in mind that sustainability should always be incorporated in every project they do. Also, they must follow the principles of sustainable development which are doing the right project and doing the project right. Do the right project by considering and assessing the economic, environmental, and social effects the project can bring to the stakeholders. Do the project right by securing public understanding and addressing sustainability holistically. Yet, this is not just about the engineers. Everybody must contribute in attaining sustainable development since it is a global responsibility. Always remember that "sustainability is no longer about doing less harm, it is about doing more good" (Jochen Zeitz).
Salazar-ClassworkAssignment#3-BSCE1B.pdfCLASSWORK ASSIGNMENT #3
Salazar-Coursework2Part1-BSCE1B.pdfCOURSEWORK #2 PART 1
Salazar-Coursework2Part2-BSCE1B.pdfCOURSEWORK #2 PART 2
REFERENCES:
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