Invited Lecture – Preserving the Environment by Reusing the Existing Construction Footprint
In practice, most projects are on fast track and destroy crucial green space on earth. The designer is often pressured to give a solution quickly. In doing so, she or he would be forced to proceed without respect to the environment, and could be taking a lot of risk, and even facing danger. This lecture emanates from the long experience of the author in Design-Build solutions. It gives guidance on how to approach engineering problems in real life by combining suitability and sustainability, and how they complement each other.
The SoLGeH approach is introduced, highlighting the importance of collecting data prior to giving any solution based on intuition or an answer haphazardly. A stable solution lies in providing functionality leading to an environmentally friendly and cost-effective execution without compromising safety.
Three case histories will be presented, each exposing the importance of geotechnical engineering and the challenges it faces in saving the environment by reusing the space of existing structures in operation; such as, creating basements under occupied buildings, or tunneling under existing highways.
As President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, the lecture also shows the importance to stay connected to the international family and be ready to practice and excel worldwide.