Consideration of Building Performance in Sustainable Design: A Structural Engineer's Role

Abstract

The role of structural engineering in sustainable design is widely perceived as being limited to material specifications and structural efficiency. However, as innovation in structural design continues, performance-based design (PBD) and building life-cycle assessment (LCA) present more opportunities for structural engineers to contribute to the sustainable design team. With these tools, design professionals now have the ability to determine whether placing high-performance architectural and mechanical systems in a building with a code-based structural system offers the greatest value to our clients, or whether such a design fails to protect the investment of capital and resources for a building in a high-risk hazard area.