Integrated Buildings & Structures

To those interested in sustainability I'd like to invite you to look into and perhaps join the ASTM E60 sustainability committee. It is a serious effort to develop some sense of definition and clarity in the field. I am a structural engineer pursuing research and advancement of an actual technology of low-carbon earthen based forms of construction. My interest came about because the E60 committee published the ASTM E2392 standard for earthen in the US.

Turns out I find I'm the only PE, and the only structural PE on the E60 committee with interest in the subject from a technological development perspective. I and others have also gone so far as to start a non-profit, the Earthen Construction Initiative (ECI) in San Antonio, Texas, focused on the various aspects the development of technologies, research, and education in the field of earthen based forms of building. There is a conversation going on world wide, including some universities, in these subjects from several different perspectives. It is indeed a multi-dimensional subject encompassing structural reliability, thermal management and energy efficiency, and health to name a few . If we are to begin to make real progress in these areas, we need more engineers in the development of technologies and standards like ASTM E60 and ECI. I'd like to hear other engineer's views.
cmd

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C Michael Donoghue P.E., M.ASCE
Principal
Maritech Engr. ,Inc.
Austin TX
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Good day to Everyone!   I have agreed to facilitate a discussion amongst my fellow members regarding Sustainability Applications in Civil Engineering Projects.   Please consider the following three questions and reply with a contribution.   It will be fun!


1. Have you had any success in incorporating sustainability in civil engineering projects? If yes, please share. If no, please offer the types of design projects to which you are assigned for group-inspired suggestions.

2. Are you performing lifecycle analyses for your civil engineering projects? If yes, please share if and how the analyses were beneficial.

3. If you have had success in incorporating sustainability in civil engineering projects, what do you hope to try to carry your effort to a new level?

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John Frauenhoffer P.E., S.E., M.ASCE
RETIRED
Champaign IL
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Thanks Michael,
Maybe you'd be interested in joining our sustainability committee: www.seisustainability.org

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Laura Dolak S.E., M.ASCE
Structural Engineer
Elmhurst IL
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Laura,

Hi and thank you for your reply. I looked the sustainability site some time ago. It didn't look like there was a way to join or participate directly.  Maybe I'm just out of date.

Keep up the good work with the sustainability committee in raising awareness.  If you are interested, the ASTM E60 is an open committee that I believe needs engineers. Just talking about things in an open forum with the mix of viewpoints shows the complexity of the issues.  There is to be a sustainability, safety, and resiliency symposium at the October meeting in New Orleans.

cmd

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C Michael Donoghue P.E., M.ASCE
Principal
Maritech Engr. ,Inc.
Austin TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2017 10:04
From: Laura Dolak
Subject: Sustainability

Thanks Michael,
Maybe you'd be interested in joining our sustainability committee: www.seisustainability.org

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Laura Dolak S.E., M.ASCE
Structural Engineer
Elmhurst IL
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Hi Michael,
Very impressive concept, you may want to have some one like me in your committee, for the R&D. I am in, if your are a person in the committee, you as a gentleman may like to have a Woman M.S., Scientist as structural engineer along side of your approach. Let me know, please.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Soussan Bathaee M. ASCE-SEI

Sent from my iPad

------Original Message------

To those interested in sustainability I'd like to invite you to look into and perhaps join the ASTM E60 sustainability committee. It is a serious effort to develop some sense of definition and clarity in the field. I am a structural engineer pursuing research and advancement of an actual technology of low-carbon earthen based forms of construction. My interest came about because the E60 committee published the ASTM E2392 standard for earthen in the US.

Turns out I find I'm the only PE, and the only structural PE on the E60 committee with interest in the subject from a technological development perspective. I and others have also gone so far as to start a non-profit, the Earthen Construction Initiative (ECI) in San Antonio, Texas, focused on the various aspects the development of technologies, research, and education in the field of earthen based forms of building. There is a conversation going on world wide, including some universities, in these subjects from several different perspectives. It is indeed a multi-dimensional subject encompassing structural reliability, thermal management and energy efficiency, and health to name a few . If we are to begin to make real progress in these areas, we need more engineers in the development of technologies and standards like ASTM E60 and ECI. I'd like to hear other engineer's views.
cmd

------------------------------
C Michael Donoghue P.E., M.ASCE
Principal
Maritech Engr. ,Inc.
Austin TX
------------------------------

Souissan,

Thank you for you response. Didn't see you response earlier. We do need more women engineers. There are a few women architects. In my opinion, most of the early work in the area has to concentrate on materials science aspects. Without a reliable, well understood material no real structure design is possible.

We are starting work on the life cycle analysis and thermal (hygrothermal and radiant) performance currently to clarify WHY you'd take the time to deal with the material system. The HOW of structural engineering and reliability follows. IMHO seismic application is way down the line though there is some work going on on the subject. In many parts of the world earthen building is just a fact of life.

Soils are of course very complex and varied. Developing clarity in properties of the constituent materials, stabilization (if any), and block or wall make are, in my opinion, currently rather rudimentary compared to just about every other material system in use in the developed world. There are a number of very good starts in codes and standards (Germany, France, and New Zealand for instance) but there is still much that need to be done. Looking back at the development of concrete as what is today taken to be a reliable material, Earthen Materials are only a bit behind concrete technology of about 100 years ago. We take that long development history for granted today.

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C Michael Donoghue P.E., M.ASCE
Principal
Maritech Engr. ,Inc.
Austin TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2017 03:37
From: Soussan Bathaee
Subject: Sustainability

Hi Michael,
Very impressive concept, you may want to have some one like me in your committee, for the R&D. I am in, if your are a person in the committee, you as a gentleman may like to have a Woman M.S., Scientist as structural engineer along side of your approach. Let me know, please.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Soussan Bathaee M. ASCE-SEI

Sent from my iPad