La teoría del desarrollo sostenible

Results by Professional Background

The majority of responders in this field come from an engineering or academic background. Outlined below are the three highest-scoring topics from both of these groups respectively:

Industry: Engineering

• Research on the use of sustainable concrete and cement products in tall buildings (7.5) • Research on the use of composite materials and systems in tall buildings (7.5)

• Research on the creep behavior of concrete in tall buildings (7.4)

Academia/University/Research

• Research on the responsible procurement of materials and components in tall buildings (8.2) • Research on the design and performance of timber as a structural material in tall buildings (8.0) • Research on non-structural applications of timber (8.0)

These results show a clear difference in research priorities between those in the engineering realm and those in academia. Responders in the former group have prioritized more “traditional” tall building materials and systems such as concrete and composite systems, most probably due to their com-mon application in real tall building projects all over the world. Those in the academic realm prioritized more alternative materials, in particular the use of timber in a structural and non-structural capacity. While those in the academic realm ranked “Research on the design and performance of timber as a structural material in tall buildings” as their second-highest-priority topic, with a score of 8.0, those in the engineering realm ranked it as their second-lowest priority topic, with an index of importance and maturity score of just 5.9, and an average importance score of 2.3 (just above “slightly important”). In fact, 50% of responders with an engineering background ranked this topic as “not important at all.”

products and components is widely supported as a priority research topic. There are, however, exceptions. In the Circulation: Vertical Transportation and Evacuation field, the topic “Research to develop calculations, models and metrics to determine the environmental life-cycle impacts of tall building vertical transportation systems” is ranked only 25th, with a lower priority index of 6.5 (see page 53). Likewise, in Structural Performance, Multi-Hazard Design and Geotechnics, topics dealing specifically with material sustainability are again ranked as a lower priority. However, here it is suggested that this is due to structural engineers intrinsically connecting structural efficiency with material sustainability, and so dedicated research in the latter is encompassed by broader topics related to the former (see page 45).

Additional Research Gaps

In terms of research maturity, responders felt that research related to “alternative” materials is underdeveloped, with “Research on the application and performance of fiber-reinforced polymers in tall buildings” and “Research on the design and performance of timber as a structural material in tall buildings” receiving mean immaturity scores of 3.8 and 3.7, respectively.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, research related to the “traditional” tall building materials of steel and concrete were in general ranked towards the bottom of the list, with topics such as the use of high-performance steel and concrete, structural steel weight-to-size ratios, use of reinforcements and the composition and elasticity of concrete, all considered low priorities. This trend is driven by lower immaturity scores for these topics (all considered at least “moderately immature,” with scores below 3.0) and academic responders giving some of these topics much lower importance ratings as compared to engineers (see results broken down by questionnaire responders below).

Results Broken Down by Questionnaire Responders

Responders who completed the second questionnaire in this section have a professional background in the following disciplines:

Industry: Engineering 50%

Academia/University/Research 31%

Industry: Other 19%

80 | Building Materials and Products

Results by Geographical Area

The location of building/research projects with which responders are involved are based across six continents, but with Europe and North America dominating. Outlined below are the three highest-scoring topics for these two best-represented regions:

Europe

• Research on recyclability and reusability of tall building materials and components (7.4) • Research on the use of sustainable concrete and cement products in tall buildings (7.2)

• The development of embodied energy/carbon data for tall building-specific materials and components (7.2)

North America

• Research on the application and performance of fiber-reinforced polymers in tall buildings (9.0) • Research on the use of composite materials and systems in tall buildings (8.3)

• Research to improve material and component durability in tall buildings (8.3)

The difference in research priorities by professional background is reflected in a similar manner when breaking down the results by geographical area.

Responders whose work is in Europe suggest greatest research priority for topics related to material and product sustainability, while those in North America have focused priority on composite and advanced materials and durability. Again, there is an interesting polarization of scores in these two regions, with “Research on the application and performance of fiber-reinforced polymers in tall buildings” receiving a priority index of 9.0 in North America, but only 6.3 in Europe. Likewise, “Research on recyclability and reusability of tall building materials and components” received the highest score of 7.4 in Europe, but only 5.8 in North America. Such differences in magnitude suggest very different attitudes and research priorities, and the potential need for technology and knowledge transfer between the regions.