SERPENTINE GALLERIES RE-OPEN

London’s Serpentine Galleries have reopened their spaces to the public in May and on June11th , the Serpentine Pavilion 2021 designed by Counterspace, the architectural studio directed by Sumayya Vally, opened its doors. It is the 20th pavilion of the famous gallery which, for this edition, extends out to the city with four installations placed in different neighbourhoods across London, recognisable as four fragments of the pavilion.
Sumayya Vally who, as per tradition when it comes to the pavilions is completing her first work in the UK, as well as being the youngest architect to be commissioned for this renowned programme.

The pavilion’s inauguration is a splendid sign of the post-Covid 19 reopening efforts, extending across the city through the four installations located in different neighbourhoods in London and recognisable as four fragments of the same pavilion. A happy ending, to a very challenging year. The inauguration was, in fact, originally set to take place on June 11, 2020, when the lockdown initiatives undertaken by the city in order to contain the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the full suspension of the Serpentine Pavilion programme and its postponement to 2021. Moreover, after a year marked by compliance with social distancing rules, the new Serpentine Pavilion extends across London to support and facilitate gatherings and participation in different locations of great importance, above all, for their diasporic and cross-cultural communities: those groups of individuals who, as a result of migratory processes have reconstructed themselves in contexts other than those of their origin. These neighbourhoods include Brixton, Hoxton, Tower Hamlets, Edgware Road, Barking and Dagenham, as well as Peckham.

 

The Pavilion designed by Counterspace pays tribute to these places, which in some cases still exist, while in others are no longer with us. Religious places like some of London’s first mosques: the Fazl Mosque and the East London Mosque. Places hosting cooperative bookshops such as Centerprise and Hackney. Entertainment and cultural venues like The Four Aces Club on Dalston Lane, The Mangrove restaurant and the Notting Hill Carnival. Four installations designed and created precisely to reinforce this theme and its connection with the city.
Four fragments of the Pavilion installed in 4 locations across the city, carefully selected to reflect this close bond: the headquarters of the first black publisher and bookseller in the UK Beacon Books in Finsbury Park; The Tabernacle multipurpose venue and community centre in Notting Hill; the Albany art centre in Deptford; and the new Becontree Forever Arts and Culture Hub at the Valence Library in Barking and Dagenham, which commemorates the centenary of the UK’s largest municipal residential complex. The installations are not an end unto themselves, but have been created specifically for the places where they have been installed and are used as display stands for books, seats, benches and more.

Offering a viable answer to the scarcity of informal gathering and interaction places, the pavilion presents itself as a new meeting place in London’s famous Kensington gardens, with its abstract form inspired by the superimposition and union of architectural elements on different scales borrowed from the city itself. The different textures and shades chosen for the pavilion, made of recycled materials such as steel, cork and wood covered with micro-cement, also take inspiration from the city of London and its rich architecture.

As per tradition, the Serpentine Pavilion will host the summer program of initiatives of the Serpentine Galleries which, for the first time, will also include a music programme entitled Listening to the City that once again aims to link the pavilion to various neighbourhoods across London and their sounds. A Scholarship and Grant Programme, Support Structures for Support Structures, has also been created to help sustain artists from different London communities.

Images courtesy of Serpentine Galleries, photo by Iwan Baan, George Darrell

Source: Floornature, Architecture and Surfaces

/0 Comments/by

AUTOMATING CONSTRUCTION

For several years, the construction sector has been facing a labour shortage, generating a growing interest in automation. The health crisis has only exacerbated the trend, prompting automation companies to turn their focus from car manufacturing to the construction industry, for which automation is expected to grow up to 30% within the next few years. The following explores present capabilities and future possibilities of automation within the construction process, its integration within the mainstream practice and the impact on design.

Facing a shortage of skilled labour, an increasing number of projects, and an imperative to reduce its environmental impact, the construction industry is looking towards automation to increase productivity, cost efficiency and minimise material waste. “Construction is where automotive was about 50 years ago in terms of the density of robots and automation. It’s coming from a lower base, but it is going to grow much faster,” says Sami Atiya, president of Robotics & Discrete Automation at ABB. A McKinsey Global Institute pre-pandemic study covering 54 countries and 78% of the global labour market states that 44% of work within the construction sector has the potential to be automated. However, the prospect is not a fully automated construction site but the use of human labour solely for essential tasks.

 

At the moment, automation is being researched and deployed along two distinct paths: automating specific tasks within traditional site operations and creating an entirely new construction process supported by new materials and technologies. Several years ago, SAM (the semi-automated mason) generated significant excitement, as the robot was capable of laying bricks at almost three times the speed of a human worker. A new bricklaying robot Hadrian X, developed by Australian firm Fastbrick Robotics has completed several residential pilot projects in Mexico and Australia and is heading towards mass production. Addressing the current construction framework, an engineering and architecture research team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) created a high-rise façade operations robot, which can perform a wide range of operations from façade painting to repair works removing workers from dangerous heights.

Traditional construction process and materials limit the adoption of robotic technology to highly specific tasks. However, digital fabrication, whether it is robotic manipulation or additive manufacturing, holds significant potential for reshaping the construction process altogether, as showcased by the experimental pavilions designed over the years by the Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), illustrating both material innovation and the possibilities of robotic fabrication.

Automation within the construction process is no longer a preoccupation at the fringes of architecture, as is shown by the collaboration announced last November between Foster + Partners and the robotics design company Boston Dynamics. As part of the Early Adopters program for Spot, the robot has been tested for data collection and progress monitoring on construction sites. Spot’s performance was undeniable, with the robot showing a much higher rate of spotting errors than manual monitoring, thus enhancing productivity and efficiency. The robot is also capable of checking as-built versus as-designed models, with significantly reduced scanning and post-processing times, which would free staff for other tasks. Foster+Partners involvement brought automation on the construction site in the realm of possibility, and it might not take long until Spot’s appearance at a building site “will seem as ordinary as the arrival of a bulldozer or a forklift do today”. The robot has been adopted by several construction companies around the world and employed for various tasks.

In 2018, Dubai announced that 25% of its new buildings will be 3D printed by 2025, with the term is now revised to 2030. At the time, Dubai already created the first fully functional and permanently occupied 3D printed office building, the Office of the Future by Killa Design and Gensler. Subsequently, in 2019 Dubai had another breakthrough with the largest 3D-printed building, whose construction required only three people on site. There is no certainty around the ambitious plan coming to fruition; nonetheless, local decision-makers are developing additive manufacturing building codes.

There is a consensus around the idea that automation will enable an era of increasingly bespoke design, as it would allow for precision and accuracy throughout construction processes, presenting significant time savings. For the most part, the geometric complexity of a component is of no relevance in numerous robotic construction processes and doesn’t impact the costs, thus facilitating complex shapes. Automation opens the possibility for investigating new aesthetics, reshaping both the design and the construction process.

 

Source: ArchDaily

 

/0 Comments/by

RESEARCH COULD SPEED UP CONSTRUCTION OF STEEL FRAMES

The five-year research program considered the seismic design of corrugated metal decks, with and without concrete topping, as a diaphragm system that is an integral part of the steel structure.

Photo courtesy Canam, Vulcraft, Steel Deck Institute

Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative Improves Seismic Design Tools

Researchers pave the way for future explorations that could speed up construction of steel frames

In a few months, Northeastern University expects to make research history by testing the behavior, under seismic loads, of a full-scale, composite, concrete-filled steel-deck diaphragm system. The novel experiment culminates unprecedented collaborative research on the seismic performance of steel floor and roof diaphragms in steel structures. The five-year initiative already has aligned and improved design methods and relevant standards used throughout the U.S., not merely in high-seismic zones, according to those involved.

The program not only validates current design practices for different steel structures, it also promises to improve the seismic design and behavior of “bare” and concrete-topped decks under earthquake loads, says Ben Schafer, a professor of civil engineering at Johns Hopkins University and principal investigator for the nearly $2-million Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative. The design tools developed allow “more reliable designs” for seismic performance and offer slight efficiency gains that can result in the application of less concrete as a deck topping, Schafer says.

The findings also pave the way for future explorations that could speed design and onsite construction. These include the study of modular deck systems and bare metal floor decks that are free of concrete topping, says Schafer.

Known as corrugated metal decking, steel diaphragms are ubiquitous in steel frames. They are considered advantageous because they are relatively low weight, use recycled material and offer potential redundancies from a large number of connection points between the diaphragm and other structural elements, say the sponsors of the initiative, which include the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI), the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, the Steel Deck Institute, the Steel Joist Institute, the Cold-Formed Steel Research Consortium and structural consultant Walter P Moore.

The investigation has resulted in the adoption of new provisions in seismic codes and standards that will increase the already high level of seismic safety of steel buildings, according to AISI, which, along with the other sponsors, is trying to make steel structures more attractive to engineers.

“These efforts expanded the capabilities of structural engineers to successfully employ steel in seismic diaphragm systems in essentially any situation,” say the authors in a 101-page final report on the research, published in March by AISI and released last month.

Until the recent research, funded by $1.4 million from the sponsors and $540,000 from the National Science Foundation, data had not been compiled and research was largely focused on the strength of isolated systems instead of ductility or whole-building performance, according to participants.

The initiative involved myriad design simulations and physical testing. The work resulted in a better understanding of diaphragm-structure interaction. That in turn led to new design approaches and new 3D modeling tools, say the researchers.

Under the study, researchers considered steel diaphragms as a system that is an integral part of a building.

“The ductility in these systems can be quite good and helps to address any variability in forces that might occur due to the variability in earthquakes,” says Jerome Hajjar, a professor of civil engineering at Northeastern University and a co-principal investigator, with professors of civil engineering Matt Eatherton, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and Sam Easterling, at Iowa State University. In total, there were 21 investigators involved in the research.

Unified Design Requirements

“The project unified design requirements, creating a cohesive basis” across the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Provisions and relevant standards from the American Society of Civil Engineers, AISC and AISI, says Charlie Carter, AISC’s president. The unified requirements also will render the next edition of the model International Building Code “similarly cohesive,” he adds.

Achieving corresponding changes in the standards required “extensive coordination” among the standards-writing committees, says John D. Hooper, director of earthquake engineering at Magnusson Klemencic Associates and an ASCE 7-22 committee member.

Specifically, there are changes to the design approach for steel floor and roof diaphragms in AISC 342, ASCE 7-22 and AISI 400. The changes include establishing special seismic detailing requirements to ensure ductility and deformation capacity in steel-deck diaphragms and establishing the diaphragm design force reduction factor, called Rs, for bare-steel deck diaphragms using special seismic detailing and concrete-filled steel-deck diaphragms.

“For the first time, engineers are able to reliably provide ductility and deformation capacity in steel-deck diaphragms,” says Hooper. This will be especially helpful in the design of rigid-wall, flexible-diaphragm structures where the ductility comes from the roof diaphragm, he adds.

For this, researchers expanded  building archetype designs. They performed thousands of nonlinear time-history analyses of 3D steel buildings and validated the alternative-diaphragm design procedures for concrete-filled steel decks and for bare steel decks in buckling restrained braced frames and concentric braced frames.

The program kicked off in 2015. The final report is available for free download on the AISI website, under “reports.”

To date, research has been conducted in the form of cantilever diaphragm tests, generally designed to identify the effect that one factor has on strength and behavior of the system. The Northeastern test system builds off the knowledge gained from these previous tests but advances beyond typical assumptions and necessary simplifications of cantilever diaphragm tests, says Hajjar.

The Northeastern, multi-bay test program is intended to document the inherent strength and ductility in typical composite diaphragms and provide a baseline test for future exploration of innovative diaphragm designs. The 28-ft by 20-ft specimen includes two chord members that span 28 ft and two collector members that span 20 ft. Findings will be appended to the final report.

To fill knowledge gaps, the five-year program focused on traditional floor systems. Time was limited for study of irregular situations, such as floor cutouts, irregular floor plans and eccentric architecture, which create unusual demands on the diaphragms.

Schafer hopes to study special cases in the future, along with bare decks and modular systems. For now, the focus is on educating practitioners about changes in the codes and standards so they can take advantage of the advances.

Source: Engineering News Record

 

/0 Comments/by

Integra Buildings delivers cutting-edge training academy for Severn Trent Water

A stunning new academy for training engineers and leaders of today and tomorrow has been delivered using cutting-edge modular building methods.

Integra Buildings, one of the UK’s leading modular construction specialists, has completed the development for Severn Trent Water, which serves eight million people across the Midlands.

Staff from both companies came together for a celebratory event to mark the launch of the Severn Trent Academy, which was officially opened by Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this month.

It provides a purpose-built centre of excellence for technical training on a new flagship campus in Coventry, as part of Severn Trent’s wider £10m investment in skills and training.

The versatile facilities provide a variety of traditional and experimental training environments, from hands-on areas designed to replicate Severn Trent’s working environments, to use of the latest technologies in virtual reality and “network simulation” computer modelling.

The energy-efficient building, which will meet Severn Trent’s present and future training needs, also houses an extensive suite of stylish rooms and breakout areas for hosting conferences and educational events.

It will offer a wide range of development opportunities for Severn Trent’s 7,000 staff, including apprentices, as well as members of the wider community, who will have a chance to gain valuable employability skills and training.

Hands on Training

The facilities will also benefit 500 young people to be employed by Severn Trent over the next year under the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, which creates six-month paid work placements for 16-24-year-olds at risk of long-term unemployment.

East Yorkshire-based Integra completed the development in just 12 months from the design stage to handing over the keys, despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

The building is a prime example of how modern modular techniques are transforming the construction sector by delivering major projects faster and more efficiently than traditional methods, without compromising on quality.

The Prime Minister took a tour of the new building and described Severn Trent’s training programme as “world class”. He added: “This brilliant academy will support thousands of people in the West Midlands to gain the skills they need to secure long-term jobs and to take a step towards brighter futures.”

Integra Managing Director Gary Parker said: “We’re delighted that the Prime Minister has praised the new academy, which looks superb inside and out. Working closely with Severn Trent, our team has delivered a first-class training environment with cutting-edge facilities.

“It’s a great example of how our innovative approach to bespoke modular building allows us to meet even the most challenging design briefs while delivering faster and more cost-effective results for the client.

“To do that while dealing with the challenges of Covid, especially during the uncertainty of the first lockdown, represents an outstanding achievement by our team, partners and suppliers.”

Severn Trent Construction Project Manager Zoe McPhilbin said: “It was great to work with Integra in helping us create our new academy that will be so valuable in providing skills and opportunities for our people and communities.

“The design aspirations for our academy have been met in full, which clearly demonstrates how Integra shared the same values and ambitions as ourselves on delivering such an amazing space in which to learn.”

East Yorkshire-based Integra designed and manufactured the building, which has a floorspace of 22,600 sq ft (2,100 sq m), at its site near Hull. The facility is made up of 45 modular units, which were transported by articulated lorry to Coventry, before being assembled on Severn Trent’s site on the outskirts of the city.

Working alongside Webb Gray Architects, Integra completed the design phase in just eight weeks.

Key aspects pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved with a modular build. The roof would have been too high to be transported by lorry from the production facilities to site, so the team designed an innovative extendable frame that allowed the height to be extended in situ.

Integra, which is renowned for providing bespoke solutions to clients, laid down robust, waterproof floors in rooms designed to replicate the challenges faced by Severn Trent’s engineers, such as working with pressurised pipes.

Incorporating sustainable features, including an air-source heat pump to provide hot water, ensured the building received an “A” rating for energy performance.

Visitors enter the academy through a warm and welcoming reception, while conference, break-out and office areas have been furnished with a stylish, contemporary look.

As the principal contractor, Integra also completed extensive preparatory works, groundworks and landscaping, including the demolition of existing buildings on site, alongside specialists from Dales Contractors. During the work, consideration was given to some of the area’s smaller residents – special lighting and bat boxes were installed to avoid disturbing a colony of bats.

A close and collaborative working relationship between Integra and Severn Trent was a key factor in the success of the development.

Integra’s on-site team worked hand-in-hand with Severn Trent’s project manager, which meant decisions could be made on the ground in real time, while in the conference suite, installing the hi-tech infrastructure involved extensive coordination with Severn Trent’s IT team.

Mr Parker said: “It’s been a pleasure to work alongside Severn Trent’s team, whose support, encouragement and expertise has made a huge difference to the success of the project.

“We enjoyed excellent communication on the ground and at management level, which helped keep the project running smoothly at all times.

“We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with our clients, which helps us to understand their needs and meet and exceed their expectations, so it’s really pleasing to see this approach paying dividends.”

The opening of the academy comes at an exciting time for Integra as it embarks on a major expansion of its base in Paull, near Hull, which is key to the management’s ambitions to double revenues to £60m within three years.

Integra has developed a nationwide reputation for excellence in the design, construction and fit-out of modular buildings for a wide range of uses, including education, sport, leisure, healthcare and commercial operations.

 

www.integrabuildings.co.uk

/0 Comments/by

Advancing Robotics in Construction

ABB Robotics advances construction industry automation to enable safer and sustainable building. Credit: ABB Robotics

ABB Robotics is advancing automation in the construction industry

The Swiss company ABB Robotics wants to take advantage of the shortage of skilled workers in the construction sector, which is currently growing rapidly, to grow its robotics business and diversify its operations beyond the automotive industry. ABB sees the construction sector as a new growth market for its robotics business. In the past 18 months, interest in automation in the construction industry has grown.

Its new robotic automation solutions could address key challenges, including the need for more affordable and environmentally friendly housing and to reduce the environmental impact of construction amidst a labor and skills shortage.

In recent years, the Swiss robotics company has been affected by the crisis in the automotive sector, which has traditionally been its main customer. In this context, the construction sector offers new business opportunities for ABB, especially in view of the important infrastructure investment programs it relies on to get the world economy out of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a global survey commissioned by ABB of 1,900 large and small construction businesses in Europe, the US, and China, 91% said they face a skills crisis over the next 10 years, with 44% saying they struggle to recruit for construction jobs. Improving health and safety on building sites was a priority for 42%, and the same percentage said the environment is a key driver for industry change.

In the survey, 9 out of 10 construction businesses predict a skills crisis by 2030, with 81% saying they will introduce or increase the use of robotics and automation in the next decade. Only 55% of construction companies say they use robots, compared with 84% in Automotive and 79% in Manufacturing.

Additionally, construction workers account for around 30% of workplace injuries and are up to four times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than other sectors, with an estimated 108,000 fatalities every year worldwide.

Robots can make construction safer by handling large and heavy loads, working in unsafe spaces, and enabling new, safer methods of construction. Using robots for the repetitive and dangerous tasks that people increasingly don’t want to do means automation can help support the industry’s labor and skills crisis and make construction careers more appealing to young people.

While ABB Robotics’ sales in the automotive market are expected to grow by 3% to 5% in the coming years, Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation Business Area, expects the construction industry to grow by 20% to 30% per year.

ABB is currently working on projects such as the robotic installation of elevators with Schindler Lifts and the robotic automation of Intelligent City’s production of prefabricated modular homes, increasing production efficiency by 15% and speed by speed 38% while reducing waste by 30%. While at Swedish construction company Skanska, ABB robots weld steel structures together to secure buildings.

 

Source: Inceptive Mind

/0 Comments/by

CEMENT BATTERIES – THE CONCEPT

Imagine an entire twenty storey concrete building which can store energy like a giant battery. Thanks to unique research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, such a vision could someday be a reality. Researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering recently published an article outlining a new concept for rechargeable batteries – made of cement.

The ever-growing need for sustainable building materials poses great challenges for researchers. Doctor Emma Zhang, formerly of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, joined Professor Luping Tang’s research group several years ago to search for the building materials of the future. Together they have now succeeded in developing a world-first concept for a rechargeable cement-based battery.

The concept involves first a cement-based mixture, with small amounts of short carbon fibres added to increase the conductivity and flexural toughness. Then, embedded within the mixture is a metal-coated carbon fibre mesh – iron for the anode, and nickel for the cathode. After much experimentation, this is the prototype which the researchers now present.

“Results from earlier studies investigating concrete battery technology showed very low performance, so we realised we had to think out of the box, to come up with another way to produce the electrode. This particular idea that we have developed – which is also rechargeable – has never been explored before. Now we have proof of concept at lab scale,” Emma Zhang explains.

Luping Tang and Emma Zhang’s research has produced a rechargeable cement-based battery with an average energy density of 7 Watthours per square metre (or 0.8 Watthours per litre). Energy density is used to express the capacity of the battery, and a modest estimate is that the performance of the new Chalmers battery could be more than ten times that of earlier attempts at concrete batteries. The energy density is still low in comparison to commercial batteries, but this limitation could be overcome thanks to the huge volume at which the battery could be constructed when used in buildings.

A potential key to solving energy storage issues

The fact that the battery is rechargeable is its most important quality, and the possibilities for utilisation if the concept is further developed and commercialised are almost staggering.Energy storage is an obvious possiblity, monitoring is another. The researchers see applications that could range from powering LEDs, providing 4G connections in remote areas, or cathodic protection against corrosion in concrete infrastructure.

“It could also be coupled with solar cell panels for example, to provide electricity and become the energy source for monitoring systems in highways or bridges, where sensors operated by a concrete battery could detect cracking or corrosion,” suggests Emma Zhang.

The concept of using structures and buildings in this way could be revolutionary, because it would offer an alternative solution to the energy crisis, by providing a large volume of energy storage.

Concrete, which is formed by mixing cement with other ingredients, is the world’s most commonly used building material. From a sustainability perspective, it is far from ideal, but the potential to add functionality to it could offer a new dimension. Emma Zhang comments:

“We have a vision that in the future this technology could allow for whole sections of multi-storey buildings made of functional concrete. Considering that any concrete surface could have a layer of this electrode embedded, we are talking about enormous volumes of functional concrete”.

Challenges remain with service-life aspects

The idea is still at a very early stage. The technical questions remaining to be solved before commercialisation of the technique can be a reality include extending the service life of the battery, and the development of recycling techniques.

“Since concrete infrastructure is usually built to last fifty or even a hundred years, the batteries would need to be refined to match this, or to be easier to exchange and recycle when their service life is over. For now, this offers a major challenge from a technical point of view,” says Emma Zhang.

But the researchers are hopeful that their innovation has a lot to offer.

“We are convinced this concept makes for a great contribution to allowing future building materials to have additional functions such as renewable energy sources,” concludes Luping Tang.

 

Read the scientific article, Rechargeable Concrete Battery in the scientific journal Buildings.

 

/0 Comments/by

Inspecting Buildings, Digitally

Construction project aims to make remote inspection with digital tech the norm

 

A consortium of researchers is undertaking a project that could pave the way for the mainstream adoption of using digital technologies to remotely inspect construction sites – a move that could underpin a quicker and more efficient sector in Scotland.

 

Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC), Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS), Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Offsite Construction and Innovative Structures, Wheatley Group, and Homes for Scotland will support a range of trials for the Scottish Government’s Building Standards Division that compare the quality of remote inspection methods with physical checks.

 

The project will explore the technologies currently being used, and others that are potentially available, for remote inspection – focussing on accessible and cost-effective options, such as smart phones and tablets. It will also develop guidance around best practice, standardisation of processes, and training materials to support the use of remote inspection.

 

Greater adoption and understanding of the options available for remote inspection – along with guidance on its implementation – could lead to more efficient construction projects by enhancing capacity for verifications, supporting quicker service delivery, and allowing greater flexibility over inspections.

 

The initiative builds on the i-Con Challenge, which used advanced digital remote verification techniques – such as virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) – to identify defects in buildings during the Covid-19 pandemic, when limitations were placed on travel and the ability to carry out physical inspections at construction sites.

 

Sam Hart, innovation manager at CSIC, said: “All going well, this project could change the way many buildings are inspected. We now have a year of evidence to draw upon and support our conclusions. While i-Con focussed on AR and VR, not every organisation will have access to those types of technologies – it is, therefore, important to gain an appreciation for all the options available, whether it is using tablets, mobile phone footage, or even photos of certain elements of a building.

 

“During the first part of the programme we will benchmark the success of remote inspection since the Covid-19 began. As part of that, we will look at a range of factors, including the carbon savings made through transport not being required, as well as identifying any issues that emerged.

 

“Based on those outcomes, we can then make recommendations for standardising remote verification and providing industry-wide guidance. Ultimately, with the appropriate quality standards maintained, we want to make remote building inspections much more mainstream, rather than a one-off because of Covid-19.”

 

/0 Comments/by

Schiphol Airport –Sustainability to the next level

Announced on May 11th, Amsterdam Schiphol is taking sustainability to the next level by using grass to make its own panels for various building projects at the airport. Used at the airport in ceilings, walls, furniture, and flooring, the grass will come from the airport’s own clippings.

“All the grass that would go to waste now gets a second life by serving as raw material. This is fully in line with our ambition to be a waste-free airport in 2030. We aim to be fully circular in 2050.” -Mirjam de Boer, Director of Asset Management at Royal Schiphol Group

A waste-free airport

Apart from facilities at extreme latitudes and those in deserts, airports are typically abundant in grassland, which surrounds vast expanses of runways and taxiways. This grass must be cut regularly to discourage birds from gathering on this land – which in turn decreases the likelihood of bird strikes.

Partnering with ECORⓇ, Schiphol will integrate its own grass clippings into panels used throughout the airport’s construction. The plan will see 100,000 square meters of panels produced annually, using grass clippings as raw material. The airport has around 10 square kilometers of grassland around its runways.

Processing the grass into panels will see it cleaned and pressed without the use of chemicals. Then, “ceilings, partition walls at construction sites, furniture and flooring” will utilize these panels. The airport notes that an added benefit is that the CO2 stored in the grass remains ‘captured,’ as it remains in its solid form.

Although the announcement was made quite recently, Amsterdam Schiphol and ECORⓇ have been collaborating on developing these panels for the last few years now.

Before large-scale production was undertaken, panels were “extensively tested for practical use at the airport,” with the airport saying that they are “certified, fire-resistant and have the same level of quality as the well-known MDF panels.” MDF stands for medium-density fibreboard and is made from wood.

The airport has pledged to purchase the panels made by ECOR®, signing a contract with its building contractors working on site. The rest of the panels, however, will be sold to other parties in the region.

Production to take place locally

The airport hopes to make things even more sustainable, with an ambition to have the grass processed “at or near Schiphol,” thereby reducing emissions further.

At this time, however, processing and production will commence this fall at the ECORⓇ factory in Venlo – a Dutch city that sits near the German border. Venlo is a two-hour drive and some 187km away from Amsterdam Schiphol.

With airports worldwide also maintaining large expanses of grass on their properties, this sounds like a fantastic project that could be transplanted elsewhere. Indeed, this work will make use of something that would otherwise decompose or be incinerated offsite.

 

Source: Simply Flying

 

/0 Comments/by

Smart City Startups a Trifold revenue increase by 2025

Smart city startups offer innovative solutions for urban challenges, including public and cybersecurity threats, traffic congestion, energy management, and e-governance. Over the years, the revenues of these companies increased significantly and are expected to continue growing in the future.

Om Jastra Kranjec

 

 

According to data presented by Aksje Bloggen, smart city startups worldwide are expected to generate $110.7bn in revenue by 2025, a trifold increase in five years.

Asian, European and American Smart City Startups to Witness Three-Digit Revenue Growth

Smart cities aim to cater to the growing urban population while improving on safety, sustainability, and mobility. These initiatives are backed by new technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things using sensors and data collection to gather large amounts of public data available for researchers and startups to work with.

Last year, smart city startups worldwide generated $32.3bn in revenue, revealed the Statista survey. This figure includes all revenue that companies generated by offering technologies and products that use information, data and connectivity technologies to create more value within the public city environment.

In 2021, smart city startups’ revenues are expected to grow by $6.7bn and then surge by a staggering $71.7bn in the next four years.

Analyzed by regions, Asian smart city startups are expected to generate $14.9bn or 38% of total revenues in 2021. By 2025, this figure is forecast to soar by 232% to $49.6bn.

European smart city startups are expected to witness a 166% revenue growth in this period, rising from $8.7bn in 2021 to $23.16bn in 2025.

North American startups follow with $12.3bn in revenue in 2021. Statista data show this value is set to grow by 152% and reach $31.2bn in the next four years.

Smart Utilities the Largest Revenue Stream, Environmental Solutions to Witness the Biggest Growth

The Statista survey revealed that smart utilities generate the highest share of startup revenues in the smart city market. In 2021, these startups are expected to make $10.7bn or one-third of total revenues.

Smart utilities are companies in the electric, gas and water sectors that employ connected sensors across their grids to analyze operations and deliver services more efficiently. Most of them are heavy users of the IoT technology and the latest communications, software, computing, and mapping solutions. By 2025, the entire segment will grow by 180% and hit a $30bn value.

As the second-largest revenue stream, the mobility segment is set to reach a $9.4bn value this year. Statista predicts this figure to jump by nearly 190% to $27.2bn in the next four years.

Smart buildings are expected to witness a 172% revenue growth in this period, with the figure rising from $7.2bn in 2021 to $19.2bn in 2025.

However, startups delivering environmental solutions for smart cities are set to witness the most significant growth in the following years. Between 2021 and 2025, their revenues are expected to surge by 210% and hit $16.4bn globally.

/0 Comments/by

Reliable colouration of ultra-high-performance concretes

Reliable colouration of ultra-high-performance concretes thanks to Bayferrox pigments from LANXESS

  • Inorganic pigments certified for use in UHPC
    • Enhancing the attractiveness of this sustainable construction material

Ultra-high-performance concretes (UHPCs) are reckoned to be the construction material of the future. When they are coloured, however, you have to ensure that the prescribed compressive strength of more than 150 megapascals is still achieved. The iron oxide pigments from LANXESS’s Bayferrox brand are perfect for UHPCs, as has been verified by the association of German cement manufacturers (VDZ) based on an analysis of compressive strength conducted to DIN EN 12390-3.

“Architects and clients can have every confidence in our high-quality pigments for colouring UHPC,” says Oliver Fleschentraeger, Market Segment Manager Construction of the Inorganic Pigments business unit at LANXESS. The iron oxide pigments come in red, yellow, and black, with numerous colour nuances possible within these shades. “As far as we know, Bayferrox pigments are the only iron oxide pigments on the market that are specially certified for use in UHPC,” says Fleschentraeger.

Pressure-resistant, colourful, and environmentally sound, the quantity of materials used is a key metric when it comes to assessing a building’s carbon footprint. Not only the choice of materials but also the production chain and construction process are also crucial. So to save materials and energy and to reduce CO2 emissions during manufacture, planners and architects are increasingly using highly sophisticated high-performance components made from UHPC. In addition to the enormous resource savings of up to 80%, material-friendly designs reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the manufacturing phase by up to 30%. “A significant and pleasing side effect of UHPC is its high resource efficiency, which makes it easier for engineers to meet the demand for sustainable designs,” says Dr. Michael Olipitz, a certified expert in the fields of superstructure, bridge-building, steel structures and structural engineering, and General Manager of the engineering office SDO ZT GmbH based in Graz, Austria. Inorganic iron oxide pigments can provide long-lasting visual enhancement to these structures or even effectively contextualize them with their surroundings – without affecting the rheology or flow behaviour of the concrete.

 

lanxess.com

 

/0 Comments/by