ALIGNING ECONOMIC AND SUSTAINABILITY GOALS: TRADE-OFFS FROM A GEOTECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE

The construction industry’s extensive use of steel and concrete contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming requires the industry to reduce its climate impact by optimizing material use. Geotechnical engineers play a crucial role in designing structures that minimize material consumption while maintaining structural integrity. Accurate knowledge of soil conditions, obtained through sufficient soil sampling, is essential for this task. However, current incentives in the construction process often lead to insufficient soil sampling, as developers aim to minimize costs. With limited data, geotechnical engineers are inclined to overdesign structures to minimize failure risks, resulting in excessive material use and higher costs. This paper explores the balance between the cost of additional soil sampling and the environmental and economic gain of an optimized design. It discusses the dilemmas facing the geotechnical engineer trying to align economic and safety in an era of increasing demands for sustainable designs.