GSA Press & Reviews
Environmental impacts of structural materials –Finding a rational approach to default values for software
Sarah C. Kaethner, BSc, CEng, MIStructE - Arup
Frances Yang, MEng, PE State of CA, LEED® AP - Arup
Structural engineers need to understand the environmental impact of their designs. This paper describes a project undertaken to review the confusing array of data and provide an approach which links data, tools and real-life material specification. The aim was to find a method of presenting environmental impacts alongside other design parameters, such as strength, so that these issues can be considered as a normal part of the design process. Environmental impact factors have been reviewed from international sources for a set of structural materials. A methodology for presenting the range
of values for unreinforced concrete was developed using practice guidelines. Default data was developed to familiarise engineers with the relative impacts of materials and lead them to mitigation strategies through specification and further exploration of the issues. This data is for inclusion in structural software programs Oasys AdSec and GSA so that embodied impacts are reported alongside other structural design parameters. Because the software offers design options for different codes of practice in different countries, impact values for different countries were also needed.
Read the full article here (as reproduced from The Structural Engineer 5th July 2011)
Footfall Vibration and Finite Element Analysis
Oasys GSA is a structural analysis program commercially available to other consultants. One of the most popular features added within the past five years is the ability to calculate the vibrations caused by footfall and other human activities on any type of structure. See article here.
November 2009
Improvements in GSA for use in offshore design
Design + Technical Matters, Issue 1. See article here.
October 2009
Good Vibrations, Arup Design Yearbook 2008
GSA Footfall overview. See article here.
2008
GSA 8.3 Released
Oasys, the software house of Arup, has recently launched a new version of GSA, its structural design and analysis software. See article here.
July 2008
Footfall Vibration
Vibration caused by human footfall has been recognised for some time and the advent of longer span and lighter structures has brought new issues to the fore. See article here (reprinted with permission by The Structural Engineer).
February 2008
Bounce Buster
Revolutionary new software could see the end to bouncy floor syndrome, a phenomenon which has cursed long span lightweight structures since the 1960s. See article here.
December 2007
