The book presents new technologies for easy and economical construction of light concrete structures saving materials and CO2. The new super-light technology allows a designer to place forces, where it is optimal, and save material everywhere else. The book also supports this “Direct Engineering” principle with a number of new details and structural principles. The new pearl-chain technology makes it possible to design optimal shapes such as arches, vaults, cupolas, floating tunnels, and shells etc. from inexpensive, and mass-produced components. The new super-light deck-elements presented in the book are now produced in six factories in Denmark, Finland, and USA, and the number is increasing. The book will be of interest for all structural engineers, who would like to save materials, CO2 and optimize their structures, for students learning about the new technologies, and for contractors and architects, who want to investigate new building technologies.

This book presents the latest research advances and findings in the field of smart/multifunctional concretes, focusing on the principles, design and fabrication, test and characterization, performance and mechanism, and their applications in infrastructures. It also discusses future challenges in the development and application of smart/multifunctional concretes, providing useful theory, ideas and principles, as well as insights and practical guidance for developing sustainable infrastructures. It is a valuable resource for researchers, scientists and engineers in the field of civil-engineering materials and infrastructures.

White cement has currently received increasing attention due to potential for use in sustainable concrete structures. Based on the U.S. Green Building Council certification practice, the LEED Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovation (LEED-NC) considers that the reflective quality of white surfaces may help to improve lighting efficiency and reduce temperature fluctuations, resulting in lower heating and cooling with reduction of related energy costs. In addition to the environmental impact, white concrete represents a valuable tool for the aesthetic acceptability of a structure, and can also offer important practical benefits in terms of safety (i.e., light reflection in the dark). In this thesis white concrete was combined with off-white rice husk ash and with a glass fibers reinforced polymer to obtain an innovative composite system able to: a) reduce the energy used for the production of the primary materials, b) decrease the temperature fluctuation in the building resulting in less energy needed for heating and cooling, and c) increase the life of the structure and thereby reduce energy usage for material disposal. It is evident that in applications where aesthetics is the driver, a great deal of attention needs to be devoted to the concrete mixture, but also to durability properties. To further improve the durability of white concrete, novel methodologies were introduced to study the corrosion mechanism of steel embedded in concrete and its effect on the color degradation of white surface. This study demonstrates the validity of the sustainable system made by white cement, OWRHA, and GFRP, and of the methodology introduce to evaluate corrosion and color degradation of reinforced concrete.

This book sheds light on recent advances in sustainable construction and building materials with special emphasis on the characterization of natural and composite hydraulic mortars, advanced concrete technology, green building materials, and application of nanotechnology to the improvement of the design of building materials. The book covers in detail the characterization of natural hydraulic lime mortars, a decade of research on self-healing concrete, biocomposite cement binding process and performance, development of sustainable building materials from agro-industrial wastes, applications of sugarcane biomass ash for developing sustainable construction materials, oil-contaminated sand: sources, properties, remediation, and engineering applications, oil shale ash addition effect in concrete to freezing/thawing, connection node design and performance optimization of girders, functionally graded concrete structures, cumulative tensile damage and consolidation effects on fracture properties of sandstone, key performance criteria influencing the selection of construction methods used for the fabrication of building components in the Middle East, fly ash as a resource material for the construction industry, degradation monitoring systems for a building information modeling maintenance approach, durability of composite-modified asphalt mixtures based on inherent and improved performance, and bitumen and its modifiers.

With superior fire resistance, strength, and a long service life, concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. A sustainable material, concrete is also easily and affordably reused and rehabilitated. The first book to provide an overview of sustainability and concrete, Green Building with Concrete: Sustainable Design and Construction surveys the material’s history in the green building movement and presents state-of-the-art methodologies and best practices. From the manufacturing of cement to the rehabilitation of concrete, this comprehensive book explains how concrete can be used for sustainable design and construction. It offers insight into new technological and social developments guiding the introduction of green buildings and examines the attributes that concrete has to offer the green building movement. The text also highlights research on economic analysis—particularly life cycle costing—to provide a full picture of the economic benefits of concrete. Expert contributors from around the world offer diverse viewpoints on global sustainability. Topics covered include: Principles of sustainable design Benefits of concrete’s thermal mass Mitigation of urban heat island effects Surface runoff and the application of pervious concrete for sidewalks and parking areas Reduction of construction waste Leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) standards Emphasizing environmental impact and occupational and consumer health and safety, this book explains how to make the most of concrete in sustainable design. Written for university and concrete industry continuing education courses, it also serves as a reference for building owners and industry professionals who recognize the value of green building.

Sustainable construction, with the overarching goal of reducing the environmental footprint of everything we build is becoming increasingly important and urgent in the light of the climate change the world is facing. The use of innovative and sustainable building materials, especially concrete as the worldwide most commonly used building material, offers a great opportunity to significantly reduce climate-relevant emissions in the construction sector. Due to their performance and reliable durability, the use of innovative high-performance concretes will help to reduce the need for new constructions and to sustainably repair existing infrastructure. In new buildings in particular, the use of high-performance materials can help to save energy and natural resources, which reduces climate-relevant emissions and thus global warming. With the current HiPerMat 6, we are responding to the growing understanding of the impact of our construction activities on the environment by placing greater emphasis on sustainability issues.