Engineering structures consume a significant fraction of resources and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. A conducted literature review shows that most existing approaches to improve the environmental performance of structures concern the adoption of decisions during the conceptual design stage (e.g. on the choice of material), often in connection with life cycle assessment. However, approaches for addressing environmental objectives in practice are often hampered by economic interests pursuing short-term profit. Moreover, such approaches are rather descriptive and lack criteria for assessing the acceptability of specific solutions. Sustainable development of our built environment requires hence a shift of paradigm on how engineering structures are designed. In this paper it is claimed that this should be approached at the strategical level of structural design codes, which contain the rules that support everyday engineering decisions in regard to structural safety and functionality. The paper discusses the reasons why these rules as conceived do not foster an optimal use of materials and explores possibilities for savings of resources and greenhouse gas emissions through modifications of these rules. The potential of risk-informed decision approaches in this context is highlighted and illustrated by a case study – the design of steel beams in building structures.

Like other competitive bridge erection techniques, incremental launching is a highly vulnerable process that entails considerable risks to persons. In steel and composite bridges, in particular, patch loading and other mechanisms that induce instability must be avoided. Considerable uncertainties are associated with both resistances and support reactions during launch operations due to the broad range of factors involved. Nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis is very useful for the explicit verification of both local and overall system stability during steel structure launching. Monitoring, in turn, may be a very powerful tool for reducing the risks associated with such operations. Further research is needed both to establish safety levels for temporary structures and on-site activities and to develop a suitable design format for nonlinear FE analysis. However, in everyday practice, engineers and builders must deal with much more basic problems, often related to the interaction between the structure under construction and the ancillary resources used, as exemplified in the case study described in this contribution. The lessons learnt from such incidents are extremely useful for improving the strategies presently in place to reduce construction-related risks.