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

2018年，建筑和建筑业占全球能源和工艺相关二氧化碳排放量的39%，其中建材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，预计未来几十年的需求将会上升。到2050年生产可在行业内规模化和经济实施的零碳混凝土是不可行的。虽然通过使用可再生能源生产的能源可以回收材料，特别是钢铁，但供应将受到限制，可能不经济，因此建筑业的吸收将受到限制。在交通、制造业、农业等大多数行业，到2050年实现绝对零度是可能的，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业使用钢铁和水泥等大宗材料，水泥通过化学反应释放大量二氧化碳形成熟料。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，因此需要替代的碳中性材料。预计到2060年，全球建筑面积将翻一番，增加2300亿平方米，相当于每周重建巴黎，因此，减少结构中使用的材料数量，特别是地板材料，对于确保到2050年实现净零至关重要。要在2050年前实现净零排放，就需要在结构工程师分析和设计结构以及将要使用的材料的方式上进行范式转变。该项目的目的是通过探索木材的自然属性和拱形结构所提供的好处，调查使用木材拱形地板来减少建筑物中使用的材料的数量。目前的研究表明，与混凝土和钢材相比，木材提供了一种可持续的途径来减少特定楼面面积的结构中的具体化碳，前提是木材是可持续来源的。木材还通过光合作用起到生物碳汇的作用，因此将碳困在结构内，至少直到结构的寿命结束。该项目将通过将创造性、参与性设计过程与实物原型、全面的结构和环境影响分析以及实际案例研究相结合来实现。在项目期间，将开发一种可靠、可重复和通用的方法来设计和优化木拱顶，实践工程师可以在建筑项目中使用该方法来减少体现碳，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.