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Winning strategies for sustainable construction Sustainability remains high on the construction industry’s agenda, and for good reasons. Across the sector, there is an increasing awareness that contributing to a cleaner, greener, and more energy-efficient built environment yields long-term benefits for stakeholders and – more importantly – the planet at large. “There’s plenty of motivation to make sustainability a priority in construction and the good news is that we see that priority being taken seriously by more and more of our clients,” says Jennifer Hogan with Pretium Engineering. It’s an optimistic report, but now is no time for Canada’s designers, engineers,...

ETH Zurich develops formwork from 3D-printed foam to slash concrete use in buildings Researchers at ETH Zurich have used 3D-printed formwork elements made from recyclable mineral foam to create a pre-cast concrete slab, which they say is lighter and better insulated while using 70 per cent less material. The system, known as FoamWork, sees a conventional rectangular mould filled with 24 mineral formwork elements in different shapes and sizes before concrete is cast around them and left to cure, creating hollow cells throughout the panel. The resulting internal geometry was optimised to reinforce the slab along its principal stress lines,...

Finnish researchers win award for carbon-negative precast concrete Carbonaide paving blocks have already been used at one of Skanska’s construction projects this autumn (Courtesy of VTT) A team of Finnish scientists has won a European innovation award for making carbon-negative precast concrete. Their system uses CO2 gas which mineralises as carbonate during the curing process, eliminating the need for energy-intensive Portland cement as a binder. Developed by Finland’s national research institute VTT, the so-called Carbonaide system won first prize in the “expected impact” category of the European Research and Technology Organisations’ Innovation Awards on 12 October. Swedish contractor Skanska used...

Scientists can now build structures with swarms of flying drones Swarms of drones could be on a future Mars mission. (Image: Yusuf Furkan KAYA, Aerial Robotics Laboratory, Imperial College London/Empa) Researchers in Switzerland and the UK have developed flying 3D printing robots that can build structures on the wing as bees and wasps do. They say the technology could be used to erect or repair buildings in difficult spots like disaster zones or in the upper reaches of skyscrapers. The drones cooperate to deposit layers of material guided by a digital design, adapting their movements as they go. They are...

Lille Langebro SH Group was tasked with constructing a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting Amager and Inner Copenhagen Lille Langebro is a bicycle and pedestrian bridge in Copenhagen, which connects Vester Voldgade and Langebrogade on the Amagerside. With its nearly 10,500 daily users, the bridge contributes by diverting pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the old Langebro, to itself instead. Copenhagen municipality has had plans for a pedestrian bridge next to Langebro since 2000. In 2014, Realdania decided to gift the municipality a sustainable bridge that would contribute to the scene both functionally and visually, to increase attraction to the...