Structural design support industrial green transition

A low-carbon approach is becoming an increasingly important edge to Finnish industry. We help industrial clients find sustainable structural solutions that will also allow them to achieve the more traditional cost, schedule and quality objectives.

Most industrial plants are critically vital for a functioning society. Furthermore, many industrial sectors are innovating solutions to global challenges, such as the energy crisis. Good examples of this include the hydrogen economy and various energy ecosystems. However, a green transition requires a holistic operational change. If products and processes are being made climate-sustainable, does it not follow that buildings themselves should reflect these same values?

Structural engineers working with carbon calculations

It is important for industrial construction to evolve alongside society and in the same direction as the rest of the built environment. In fact, the future competitiveness of industry requires that projects are optimised as a whole. Structural engineering responds to these challenges with target energy calculations and multi-objective optimisation (MOBO).

In addition to that, we have developed a carbon footprint calculator for structural engineering, with which an engineer can quickly calculate the carbon footprint of a frame during the pre-planning phase. This allows decision-makers to gain information about different options and the effects of their emission early on. At massive industrial sites, the differences between frame options can be considerable when it comes to their emissions.

Right material for right application

Choosing low-carbon concrete for a project instead of the traditional type matters, because the CO2 emissions of the former can be up to 60 per cent lower. The use of wood is also likely to become more common in industrial construction. CLT and LVL mass timber elements can be used to create stylish industrial plants, office facilities and administrative buildings that can serve as a company’s calling card. Similarly, low-carbon steel will be one of the future solutions.

In addition to this, hybrid building, i.e. the use of smart combinations of materials, will allow both the environment and the long lifecycle and adaptability of industrial constructions to be taken into account simultaneously. When the right materials are selected for the right locations, the amount of materials, as well as their service life and eligibility for maintenance, can be optimised. In addition to the carbon footprint, this will have an impact on a project’s costs, timeframe and quality.

Circular economy promoted through demolition planning

Option assessments and carbon calculations carried out during the pre-planning phase will help operators make better decisions during the later phases of an industrial project. Moreover, a 3D model – an inventory twin – created during structural design will be helpful with demolition work and when planning repairs, changes, reuse and recyclability.

When a building is first demolished virtually, all the parts and materials suitable to be reused, as well as their masses, will be known in advance. A building can even be designed to be demolishable from the start, so that the joints of concrete columns, for example, will allow the columns to remain intact when removed from the building. In other words, circular economy requires proper planning and a correct order in which demolition is carried out.

Responsibility increases industrial operators’ brand value

Digital modelling data is also useful in stakeholder collaboration. Clients, investors, authorities and other stakeholders are increasingly interested in the way in which industrial production supports the national climate and environmental objectives. 3D and 4D models help a building’s carbon footprint to be monitored and verified, and a low-carbon approach will, in turn, enhance a company’s brand value.

Low-carbon construction meets the requirements of well-informed clients and the increasingly strict legislation. Simultaneously, the costs, waste and loss of resources in industrial construction are reduced, and circular economy is promoted. Unknown threats turn into new opportunities and competitive edges

Please contact us! We will help you guide your industrial project into a more responsible direction from the very beginning, while keeping the other operational goals in mind.

Jyrki Jauhiainen, Business Unit Director, jyrki.jauhiainen@sweco.fi