Online Information Centre for Stainless Steel in Construction
Specification > Sustainability
This research paper by H Fujii and T Nagaiwa was presented in the SETAC North America Annual Meeting, November 2005. It describes how to apply the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data for stainless steel products and recommends a simple standard for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practitioners with stainless steel. These are ISO-standardized methodologies and are a useful in indicating if a material truly contributes to sustainable development. LCI data is presented for stainless steel grades and examples are given to illustrate the method. There is discussion on the energy saving and reduction in CO2 emissions and it is concluded that stainless steel is a highly sustainable material.
Like any other industry, the stainless steel industry aims to reduce its CO2 emissions. The purpose of this document is to clarify what those emissions are and where they originate.
This resource aims to provide architects and other specifiers with an overview of stainless steel and sustainble construction. It decribes properties inherent to stainless steels such as: good corrosion resistance, structural efficiency, durability, low maintenace, lasting beauty and 100% reusability and recylability which lead to sustainable development. Correct grade selection for the intended environment and the use of experienced fabricators is also discussed and found to be highly important. The resource also adresses the future challenges for sustainble stainless steel constrcution with relation to the environmental impact the production of the material has and measures to reduce this.
Duplex stainless steels are increasingly used as structural materials in building and architecture because of their exceptional mechanical properties. Their room temperature yield strength in the solutiona nnealed condition is more than twice that of standard austenitic stainless steels not alloyed with nitrogen. Over the last few years, they have started playing an increasingly important role in the construction of bridges, wherever specific environmental conditions combine with the need for high load-bearing capability.
Interest in sustainable design has grown significantly around the world. Consequently, more complex material comparisons have become common and increasingly include recycled content, expected life service, maintenance requirements, and impact on energy and water consumption.
Airports and stations for trains, subways and buses are vital components of modern infrastructure. Their efficient, uninterrupted service provides substantial economic and environmental benefits. However, despite numurous attractive historic transit facilities around the world, most of the older structures were intended to simply be functional, low-maintenance and inexpensive.
Interest in sustainable design has grown significantly around the world. Consequently, material comparisons for exterior applications now frequently include aspects such as recycled content, durability, maintenance requirements and impact on energy and water consumption. When these analyses are done, stainless steel consistently garners high marks, particularly in structures designed for 30 or more years of service.