Software to Ease Reuse of Construction Materials
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A new software developed at EPFL can help architects to design building structures that incorporate both new and reused components, thereby lowering their environmental impact. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">When designing a building, instead of using new
Published -
Nov 25, 2020 4:29 AM
A new software developed at EPFL can help architects to design building structures that incorporate both new and reused components, thereby lowering their environmental impact. When designing a building, instead of using new components or even recycling existing metal parts by melting them down and casting them into new shapes, Jan Brütting, who has just completed a PhD at EPFL’s Structural Xploration Lab (SXL), headed by Corentin Fivet from the Smart Living Lab in Fribourg has been developing a software application that enables users to design structures while conducting life-cycle assessments. It is oriented towards the reuse of steel beams, columns and bars, but other materials, such as wood and concrete, could also be incorporated. The engineer or architect designing or modifying a structure enters its overall characteristics into the program, along with a description of the stock of reusable, second-hand components. The software then performs an initial optimization of the structure’s form, so as to use as little material as possible. Next – and this is one of the program’s innovations – it provides designers with alternative forms that meet various sustainability objectives. For example, it changes the layout of the structure and it optimally selects and positions elements from existing stocks to further reduce the structure’s carbon footprint, it limits the number of new cuts and keeps the number of components to a minimum. The software can also identify the optimal combination of new and recycled components that will minimize a structure’s carbon footprint. A designer can thus select and adapt the most appropriate solution for the project. Brütting has tested his application in real-life situations, based on materials recovered from Swiss buildings and infrastructures that were being demolished.
Tags : design ALLIED construction architect Software Materials EPFL