We need to talk

The latest edition of Concrete Quarterly is now available to read on line. #CQSpring 2020.

Regular readers may notice a few changes in this issue, not least a new face in the editor’s chair...... ME!

I am absolutely delighted to be taking on this role at such an exciting and pivotal time for building design and construction, when aspirations and targets are evolving rapidly in response to the need to address global carbon emissions.

As the pace of change necessarily accelerates towards net-zero, it is a challenge for everybody to know what the right solutions are and where to look for relevant, reliable information – and even what questions we should be trying to answer. Climate change is making us all think about what we do and how we do it, so it’s more important than ever that designers understand what other disciplines bring to the table, and their perspectives, motivations and ways of working.

That’s why we’ve merged our technical content aimed at architects and structural engineers into a single Application section, and also added a new first-person section where designers discuss their influences and the processes by which ideas are developed into their built form. This issue’s Origin Story sees Adam Richards describe the thinking behind his award-winning family home, Nithurst Farm.

These conversations will be essential as we are forced to challenge our “normal” ways of working. None of us operate in isolation, and sharing knowledge and data will be even more important in the future for working out what’s possible and making better decisions. All design is dependent on teamwork, but it’s particularly important in the case of concrete, when so many of the opportunities for greater sustainability cross traditional boundaries.

Visual concrete can be an aesthetic choice, but can also underpin a cooling strategy, for example; post-tensioned slabs enable much longer spans and maximise available space and floor-to-floor heights while using less material. There is so much to be gained from viewing projects holistically, rather than from within our silos of expertise.

In our Innovation section, meanwhile, we want to draw attention to the amazing research going on in labs across the UK and beyond, to further reduce the carbon content of concrete and to expand the frontiers of material efficient design – one example is discussed by the very brilliant Dr John Orr at the University of Cambridge. After all, as the speed of change increases, these bold new innovations could be with us a lot sooner than we expect.

And finally, I want to remind you that if, like me, you prefer to read a printed version of the magazine you can subscribe to receive hard copies for free.

In additional to the digital version of #CQ, the entire magazine can be downloaded as a PDF, as well as each past edition in the archive over the last 73 years ago. It is an honour to be part of this long history, and to help continue the dialogue.