Examining the role of structural engineers in green building ratings and sustainable development

This paper examines role of structural engineers in design of green buildings by analysing credits available for the structural aspects of buildings in the four rating systems (LEED, BREEAM, Estidama and Green Star). It was concluded that the points related to the structural credits are roughly proportional to the cost of structural elements in buildings. However, participation of structural engineers in the sustainability efforts is disproportionally low based on the percentage of structural engineers holding LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED AP) designation. Embodied and total energy requirements of typical buildings were examined and it was concluded that embodied energy in the structural components has a share ranging from 2% for traditional buildings to 25% for net-zero buildings. Finally, the sustainability aspects related to structural design that are currently ignored in the rating systems were identified and discussed. Such aspects include: baseline material usage, structural robustness and resilience to disasters, structural adaptability and reuse, structural durability and longevity. It was emphasised that a structure can be sustainable, in true spirit of the terminology, without achieving significant points in the rating systems as long it satisfies the guiding principle of reducing burden on natural resources and the environment.