Sustainable design & construction Of long span bridges

Abstract

With the growing awareness of environmental protection, one of the critical concerns while undertaking major infrastructure projects the world over is sustainability. Sustainability can be defined as the art of designing a project so that resources are available for generations to come, duly considering the environmental, ecological, economic and socio-cultural environments. Hence major bridge projects all over the world are now gearing up to meet the sustainability requirements besides techno-economical issues. Sustainability is the maxim of the 21st century. Business as usual energy and consumer practices are under scrutiny in the wake of depleting natural resources and food shortages In addition, with global warming becoming a real concern, energy conservation andcarbon reduction are major considerations in such projects during not only design and construction phase but also service. Integration of aesthetics poses another dimension to the challenge.