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Learning from the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence offers valuable insights into disaster recovery. Carmine Galasso and Eyitayo Opabola delve into the intricacies of the “Build Back Better” (BBB) concept, underscoring the importance of recovery and reconstruction efforts toward a future that is not only more resilient but also more sustainable and equitable.
Recent high-profile concrete material failures, including the collapse of parts of public buildings in the UK, have highlighted the need for a greater understanding of the durability of concrete. Here, John Provis explores the need to recognise the complexity of concrete when planning both the research and application of this key construction material.
Nanomaterial solutions to sustainable development goals are hindered in their path to commercialisation by an early-stage reliance on single metric optimisation. Here we formulate the PSEC challenge (Performance, Scalability, Environment and Cost) to integrate broader sustainability thinking with precise technical solutions and so enable successful commercialisation of these advanced materials.
On International Women in Engineering Day, we outline the ways that Communications Engineering supports the equitable inclusion of women in our publishing activities. We also suggest ways in which researchers can be supporters of diversity and inclusion when publishing their own research.
Today we celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of Communications Engineering. We reflect on our progress and welcome in the second year by announcing some new projects and content.
A recent publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes a fluid-based building interface to reduce energy use for heating, cooling and lighting by selectively tuning light absorption and dispersion. Models showed that this system could reduce the annual energy consumption by up to 43% compared to existing technologies.
Cement-based construction 3D printing (C3DP) has the potential to be a climate solution by promoting cement decarbonization. Here we propose five policy actions that can guide C3DP toward becoming an emission abating tool.
Land subsidence adds to the problem of climate-driven sea-level rise in coastal regions. A recent publication in Nature Sustainability has quantified the relative rates of local land subsidence of 48 major coastal cities worldwide. The study found that relative local land subsidence is more spatially variable than IPCC estimates previously suggested, with cities in Asia suffering the most. The findings could refine predictions of relative sea level rise and better guide actions for planning, designing and implementing protection strategies for coastal cities.
Today we present a special issue of Communications Engineering exploring various ways in which engineering researchers are engaging with the challenge of building resilient infrastructure for a sustainable future.
In a recent work published in NatureCommunications, Dr. Benjamin Schäfer and colleagues demonstrate the effect of Braess’ paradox in power grids, both in a lab-scale mimic and through real-world simulations of the German power network. The results lay the groundwork for more sustainable grid development.
Building retrofit is essential to deliver decarbonisation. But its implementation could leave a legacy of waste if end of life is not considered now. Danielle Densley Tingley considers the challenges and implications of embedding circularity into building retrofit.
A recent publication in Environmental Sciences: Advances reports flame-retardant, colored and soil-biodegradable nanocellulose bioleather with tensile strength and ductility competitive with traditional leather. Further, the researchers report that these microbial biotextiles have a thousandfold reduction in human toxicity levels compared to cow leather with a carbon footprint lower than cow leather, synthetic leather and cotton.
A chemical strategy to separate troublesome americium from lanthanides could help reduce the radiological hazards of spent nuclear fuel and create opportunities for waste re-processing.
Findings from a recent publication in Energy and Buildings show that “net-zero energy” renovations can lead to net-positive energy buildings. But the results also raise concerns for the energy grid and overheating in the summer. The analysis of energy consumption of residential buildings give insight into future performance of a Dutch neighborhood’s deep energy-saving refurbishments.
