Over the years, the Greater Vancouver population has been growing, and that growth has not been subtle. In a recent publication of the , our CEO and current Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Kari Yuers, noted that in just the past year alone, more than 46,000 residents moved to the area.
Some of you may think that鈥檚 just because of the Greater Vancouver area鈥檚 major urban center, Vancouver. After all, the city was recently for quality of living in 2019 out of more than 200 cities worldwide. It鈥檚 not a surprise to see more people interested in living in such a desirable place.
However, that鈥檚 only one aspect of a very global trend because Vancouver isn鈥檛 the only place that鈥檚 growing significantly. According to the United Nations (UN), by 2018, were already living in urban areas. And that number is projected to go up to 68% by 2050.
All of which makes for a treasure trove of construction opportunities around the world!
As much as that likely excites you as well as those of us here at 蜜桃社区, it does mean that we have an obligation to manage that growth in a sustainable way. Why? Let’s find out.
There Just Isn鈥檛 Much Physical Space Nowadays
With so many people wanting to live, work, and relax within city limits worldwide, all developers have to deal with fairly restrictive geographical constraints. For instance, our fair city of Vancouver draws so much industrial interest that available land for industries sometime in the future between 2035 and 2045.
While we still have land now, it鈥檚 clearly becoming less and less available as time goes on. And it鈥檚 already quite limited due to the surrounding ocean and mountains.
Of course, not all cities believe that their geographical constraints need to be a limiting factor. In fact, Hong Kong has been planning on what鈥檚 called the . Under this vision, Hong Kong would create artificial islands. In turn, this new land would become extra space for Hong Kong. The city could then use it to hold more infrastructure for a growing population.
It鈥檚 a unique solution for a difficult problem.
But not every city will be able to follow suit. That鈥檚 why we need to focus on getting the most out of the building space we do have, using more space-friendly methods, such as vertical construction.
Resources Are Also Limited
We also need to consider the materials we put into using that space. After all, Earth only has so many natural resources we can use.
Unfortunately, the UN Environment Programme鈥檚 show the consumption of natural resources has only gotten worse. From their Global Resources Outlook 2019 publication, they noted that after 1970, resource extraction 鈥渕ore than tripled.鈥 In fact, fossil fuel usage increased by 45%. And building-quality sand is now being extracted at unsustainable rates.
However, that isn鈥檛 to say that we as the construction community haven鈥檛 noticed. Like anyone, we want our planet to stay healthy. But we also know that people need infrastructure in place to live, travel, and be safe.
So a healthy planet and human infrastructure need to co-exist.
That鈥檚 why over the years, we have come up with frameworks like the triple bottom line (TBL). These remind and encourage us to look at not just the economic value of building but also the social and environmental values too.
Without them, we could end up taking up more space or natural resources than we actually need.
In Short: We Need to Optimize Building Space to Stay Sustainable
But how do we actually optimize building space?
We鈥檝e talked a lot about how it can help us avoid using up a lot of space and resources. Now, it鈥檚 time to see what we can do to actually implement it.
Start by thinking about how you can extend your structure鈥檚 service life. While optimizing building space is great for minimizing your environmental impact, you need to make sure that the structure lasts for a long time. Otherwise, more resources may end up being spent on unnecessary maintenance, repair, or rebuilding.
That鈥檚 why you need to maximize the service life of your structure, addressing all the values of the TBL framework. And that means balancing the economic, environmental, and social aspects of your construction.
Here’s How We Can Do That
First, we’ll likely want to look to concrete as it鈥檚 a .
Luckily, there are certain products that can help you enhance concrete to optimize building space and make it sustainable. These are the ones you should be turning to for projects.
We can even help make your search easier! 蜜桃社区 offers a number of such products, including:
- 鈥 This waterproofing admixture replaces the need for external waterproofing membranes of any kind, including petroleum ones. So you鈥檒l use less petroleum during building and be able to build right up to the property line. You鈥檒l also be able to put the admixture directly into your concrete mix, making the concrete itself permanently waterproof! That will allow your concrete to withstand wet environments. So even if your building area is constrained by ocean, you can still work around it.
- 鈥撀With this integral hardening admixture, you can harden your concrete so that it鈥檒l have double the wear life. And it won鈥檛 have any effect on concrete water demand. Like KIM, it is added directly to your concrete mix. So you can avoid using up unnecessary resources while keeping your concrete durable.
- 鈥 Once you have enhanced your concrete and poured your cast, you can use our Maturix Sensors. With them at hand, you鈥檒l be able to see how the curing concrete鈥檚 temperature and strength develops in real time. After all, this information will be reported to a digital Internet-connected device of your choice no matter where you are. That way, you鈥檒l know exactly when your concrete鈥檚 strength has been maximized. You won鈥檛 have to spend time guesstimating it. Instead, you鈥檒l be able to quickly move onto the next step in construction, freeing聽up more time to focus on optimizing your building space as much as possible.
With both the right service life enhancements and sustainable products like these, you can optimize building space. So in turn, everyone can have the space and resources they need to live comfortably.
