Abstract
Construction involves the use of significant quantities of raw materials and entails high-energy consumption. For the sake of choosing the most appropriate solution that considers environmental and sustainable concepts, tools such as the integrated value model for sustainable assessment (Modelo Integrado de Valor para una Evaluación Sostenible, MIVES) used in Spain, plays a key role in obtaining the best solution. MIVES is a multi-criteria decision-making method based on the value function concept and the seminars delivered by experts. Such tools, in order to show how they may work, require application to case studies. In this paper, two concrete slabs manufactured with differing reinforcements during the construction of the La Canda Tunnels are compared by means of MIVES. The two concrete slabs were reinforced with a conventional steel-mesh and with polyolefin fibres. This research was focussed on the main aspects affecting the construction. That is to say, the environmental, economic, and social factors were assessed by the method, being of special impact the issues related with maintenance of the structure. The results showed that from the point of view of sustainability, the use of polyolefin fibres provided a significant advantage, mainly due to the lower maintenance required.
Highlights
Concrete, as is widely known, is manufactured by merging cement, aggregates, water, and in some cases, chemical additives
The continuous use of MIVES could supply accepted rules for the seminars provided by experts
The assessment of parameters beyond the economic ones have been a key factor in showing the benefits of choosing the reinforcement with polyolefin fibres instead of the conventional steel-mesh
Summary
As is widely known, is manufactured by merging cement, aggregates, water, and in some cases, chemical additives. The diversity of cements since developed, and combinations of such cements with certain chemical additives have enabled numerous types of concretes to be manufactured that are suitable for a wide variety of uses. Based on the reduced cost of the concrete components, and their availability and adaptability, in the last century, it has become the most commonly used construction material. One reason for the success of concrete is that the total amount of cement consumed, which is mainly used as a raw material for concrete, has not stopped rising since the beginning of the 20th century. There are ways to soften the impact of infrastructure construction, maintenance, and management on society and the environment alike
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