Steeling ourselves for a sustainable future
Known for its strength and durability, steel is one of the world’s most important construction materials. It has a key role to play in our ‘circular economy’ and transition to a low carbon built future. WSP Technical Principal Materials & Corrosion Raed El Sarraf and Technical Principal Sustainability & Resilience Rowan Dixon explain.
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New Zealand
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Saturday, 5 February 2022
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Weathering steel cladding was used on the Ironbank building to provide a durable, low maintenance, and aesthetically appealing solution. Credit: Richard Barclay of WSP.
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Waitaki’s eye-catching twin steel bridges under construction in 2014. Credit: John Bissett, Fairfax NZ.
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Auckland Harbour Bridge is an example of a structure that will go beyond its original 100-year design life. Credit: Richard Barclay of WSP.
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Red hot coil! BlueScope Australia is looking at manufacturing zero carbon steel in Australia. Credit: NZ Steel Ltd.
You don’t always have to go big, just simply tweaking here and there contributes to reducing the embodied carbon of a structure. Individually, these changes may appear minuscule, but compound these and up to 50% carbon savings can be achieved.