Steel in China: A Whole of Life Approach

Given the worldwide push towardsustainable buildingand construction, it hardly comes as a surprise that environmental considerations are becoming increasingly pertinent in the selection of building materials.

Equally unsurprising, given China’s status as the world’s largest steel producer, greenhouse gas emitter and fastest-growing big economy, is the fact that a significant amount of focus surrounding green building materials is shifting toward the Middle Kingdom.

Already, much progress has been made. In buildings such as the 15-storeyArch Hotel, for example, the use of pre-fabricated steel and concrete, as well as a number of energy savings measures such as quadruple-glazed windows and energy-saving lights, have been cited as sustainable features that were incorporated into the building. This is made all the more impressive by the fact that the building was constructed from the ground up in just six days.

In this regard, an increasing area of focus revolves around the life cycle of building materials, with an eye to the environmental impact of a material through all stages of its life, including raw materials and manufacturing/production, use and eventual disposal or recycling.

As evidence of the extent of this push, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Steel...

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