Concrete Design for Sustainability
Concrete is omnipresent in our society. The average annual per capita consumption is about one ton. Although concrete is a comparatively environmentally friendly material, the manufacturing process is a major obstacle in reducing greenhouse gases. This problem is particularly prevalent in the face of societal needs for safe living spaces and growing urban infrastructure. This explains the development of numerous novel cements by industry and academia. However, an environmentally friendly, high-performance cement is not enough. To achieve lasting success in building practice, it is necessary to consider all facets of sustainable concrete design. This holistic perspective will be developed in this course.
The interdisciplinary course is designed around a group semester project in which you will analyze an existing structure and identify a clear path to creating a more sustainable equivalent structure. Cement chemistry and substitutes, admixtures, concrete formulation, and design for sustainable concrete are some of the topics that will be explored in this work. The course will be graded after three group presentations in which you explain the analysis of your structure, as well as the contribution of your design to sustainable building practices.
The course will be graded after three group presentations (oral exam) in which you present the analysis of your structure, and the rationale of your design for greater sustainability.
The course always takes place in SS, teaching language is English!
Registration always via RWTHonline, the course has a participant limit.