专业英语英文可持续发展及结构工程师.docVIP

Sustainability and the Structural Engineer The desire for high-performance, green, sustainable, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings has become a major force in today’s construction market. As the hype surrounding green construction evolves, the role of the structural engineer in contributing to sustainable building seems to have been diminished to that of simply being a specifier of construction materials rather than a designer of sustainable structures. The real issue for the structural engineering profession is determining what role the structural engineer should play as green building evolves into a collective design and construction consciousness. The answer is simple: the structural engineer needs to emphasize the contributions that good design decisions can make to the sustainability of a structure. Historical Perspective To look at the present and future of the green building movement, it is necessary to look at how it got to where it is in the first place. There has been so much talk of sustainable this and green that—not just in the construction world, but in every facet of life—that it is sometimes difficult to recall a time when green was not the hot topic it is today. But it was not always this way and it did not happen overnight. So when did this concern for the environment begin? Throughout history, there have always been those who have appreciated and respected the natural world, but ironically, instead of being immersed in nature, it may actually have taken a step away—to the tune of around 240,000 miles (386,243 km)—for people to gain the perspective of earth as something precious and vulnerable. British astrophysicist Fred Hoyle identifies that moment as the first photos of earth taken during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, saying, “Something new has happened to create a worldwide awareness of our planet as a unique and precious place. It seems to me more than a coincidence that this awareness should have h