4 ms·
> Any building using concrete for a structure should be aiming to last at least 100 years. I don't know which country you have in mind but in Europe the constr
by barumi 6y ago
> Any building using concrete for a structure should be aiming to last at least 100 years.
I don't know which country you have in mind but in Europe the construction industry by law is obligated to design concrete structures for residential buildings that ensures a useful life of at least 50 years, and by definition that means that the building structure shall not require maintenance for at least 50 years.
Moreover, concrete as a widespread structural material is relatively new, and city centers are still packed with contrete buildings that were built when the technology started popping up.
In fact, in general a building with concrete structure is only demolished when it's not possible to retrofit or renovate it effectively, due to unrelated reasons such as increasing occupation density that would not be cost-effective by reinforcing the concrete structure.
My point is that concrete structures are not demolished with enough frequency to be of any concern. The main reason is that concrete structures are simply too expensive to be demolished, moreso in urban centers. Thus your concern simply isn't relevant in the real world because economics already impose the same restrictions that are expressed in your environmental concerns.
- stjohnswarts 6y agoMaybe in Europe, but in the United States if you want to tear down a building and build another one, there is about a 99% chance you can do that and get the paperwork for it without too many hurdles other than NIMBYs.
- barumi 6y agoThat's an entirely unrelated issue, and fits the case of urban renewal projects whose preexisting building is not able to accommodate new functional requirements, at least in a cost-effective way. The only factor that the use of concrete plays in this scenario is that concrete structures are expensive and time-consuming to demolish. If the investment makes financial sense then the choice of building material doesn't make any difference.