Buildings of 2050: What can be achieved with zero-carbon structures?

2018年，建筑和施工占全球能源和工艺相关二氧化碳排放量的39%，建筑材料制造业占全球总排放量的11%。结构钢和混凝土主要用于建筑，预计未来几十年需求将上升。到2050年生产出可在工业中规模化和经济地实施的零碳混凝土是不可行的。虽然材料可以回收，特别是钢铁，通过使用可再生能源生产的能源是可能的，但供应将受到限制，并且可能不经济，因此建筑行业的吸收将受到限制。到2050年，交通、制造业、农业等大多数行业都有可能实现绝对零排放，因为它们都可以使用可再生能源实现电气化；然而，最具挑战性的限制是在建筑行业中使用散装材料，如钢铁和水泥，水泥通过化学反应形成熟料释放大量二氧化碳。限制混凝土在建筑中的使用将阻碍发展、能源供应和经济活动，特别是在发展中国家，因此需要替代碳中性材料。到2060年，全球建筑面积预计将翻一番，增加2300亿平方米，相当于每周重建一个巴黎，因此，减少建筑材料的使用，特别是地板材料的使用，对于确保到2050年实现净零排放至关重要。为了在2050年达到净零排放，结构工程师在分析和设计结构和将要使用的材料时需要转变思维模式。该项目的目的是通过探索木材的自然特性，结合拱形结构提供的好处，研究木材拱形地板的使用，以减少建筑中使用的材料数量。目前的研究表明，如果木材的来源是可持续的，那么与特定楼层面积的混凝土和钢材相比，木材提供了一种可持续的途径来减少结构中的隐含碳。木材还通过光合作用充当生物碳汇，因此将碳捕获在结构中，至少直到结构的寿命结束。该项目将通过结合创造性的、参与式的设计过程、物理原型、全面的结构和环境影响分析以及实际案例研究来实现。在项目期间，将开发一种可靠的、可重复的、通用的方法来设计和优化木材拱顶，这种方法可以被建筑项目中的实践工程师使用，以减少隐含碳，同时确保满足结构强度、挠度和振动性能标准。

In 2018 buildings and construction accounted for 39% of global energy and process-related CO2 emissions, with the manufacturing of building materials accounting for 11% of the total global emissions. Structural steel and concrete are predominately used in construction with demand expected to rise over the coming decades. Producing zero-carbon concrete by 2050 that can be scaled and economically implemented within industry is not feasible. Although materials can be recycled, particularly steel, by using energy produced by renewables is possible, the supply will be constrained and potentially uneconomical and therefore the uptake within the construction industry will be limited. Delivering absolute zero by 2050 is possible in most industries such as transport, manufacturing, agriculture as they can all be electrified using renewable energy; however, the most challenging restraint is the use of bulk materials such as steel and cement in the construction industry, with cement releasing large volumes of CO2 through the chemical reaction to form clinker. Restraining the use concrete in construction will hinder development, energy supply, and economic activity, particularly in developing countries, and therefore alternative carbon neutral materials are needed. The global floor area of buildings is projected to double by 2060 with an additional 230 billion square meters, which equivalent to re-building Paris every week, therefore, curtailing the quantity of material used in structures, particularly in floors, is critical to ensuring that net zero can be achieved by 2050. To reach net zero by 2050 will require a paradigm shift in the manner that structural engineers approach the analysis and design of structures and the materials that will be used. The aim of this project Is to investigate the use of timber vaulted floors to reduce the quantity of materials used in buildings by exploring the natural properties of timber in conjunction with the benefits provided by vaulted structures. Current studies are showing that timber provides a sustainable route to reducing the embodied carbon in structures compared to concrete and steel for a given floor area provided the timber is sustainably sourced. Timber also acts as a biogenic carbon sink through photosynthesis and therefore entraps carbon within the structure until at least the end of life of the structure. This project will be achieved by combining a creative, participatory design process with physical prototyping, comprehensive structural and environmental impact analysis, and practical case studies. During the project a reliable, repeatable, and versatile methodology will be developed for the design and optimisation of timber vaults that can be used by practicing engineers in building projects to reduce embodied carbon all the while ensuring that structural strength, deflection, and vibration performance criteria are met.