Life-cycle driven design of steel structures for reduced embodied carbon
The next edition of our webinar series will take place on 18, 19, 25 and 26 November 2026, with a bonus session on 20 January 2027.
Topics
Amongs others, the following questions will be highlighted:
- How much of a steel building's carbon footprint is already locked in at the conceptual design stage, and which early decisions matter most?
- What is inside an EPD; why two "identical" steel products can differ by a factor of two, and how to choose one you can defend?
- Span, storey count, slab type, lateral system: which of these moves the embodied carbon counter most?
- High strength steel: when does it really embodied carbon?
How do fire, seismic and durability requirements interact with carbon reduction, and where are the trade-offs? - Design for deconstruction and steel reuse: what does it take to make a structure worth dismantling rather than scrapping?
- How to run a fast comparative optioneering study between structural alternatives without a full LCA consultant?
- Which embodied carbon regulations and reporting frameworks are already in force across Europe, and what is coming next?
The training will also feature four guest case studies:
- Ricardo Pimentel (Divisional Director, Pell Frischmann) on life cycle driven design optioneering;
- Roy Fishwick (Managing Director, Cleveland Steel & Tubes) on steel reuse;
- José Oliveira Pedro (IST Lisbon, GRID Consulting Engineers) on high-strength steel bridges;
- and Ahmet Topbaş (Founder, ATTEC) on steel-timber hybrid structures
Bonus session on Designing Steel Structures for Seismic Resilience and Reparability
This session held on 20/01/27 will present a practice-oriented course on seismic resilience and reparability of steel structures, drawing on RS4, a recent Italian national research project. Topics will include Eurocode 8-based building case studies, development of fragility curves, experimental testing of innovative self-centering devices, and life-cycle assessments highlighting environmental and economic benefits.
What you take home
Slides, calculation templates and worked examples, a practical life-cycle design checklist covering key decisions from concept to procurement and end-of-life, and a comparative table of embodied carbon regulations, standards and reporting frameworks across countries.
By the way
Alper Kanyilmaz's book "Life Cycle Driven Structures" (Wiley) has now been published. It is available here.
The third edition of the ECCS webinar series "Life-Cycle Driven Design of Steel Structures", delivered by Alper Kanyilmaz , Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano, had concluded successfully.
What participants said
"The lectures were highly engaging and well-structured, with numerous practical examples. I particularly appreciated that we had to perform an LCA analysis of our own structure. The concept of life-cycle driven design of steel structures for reduced embodied carbon was explained in a very clear manner.”
"The webinar was very interesting and comprehensive. The feedback from other participants was also a valuable asset.”
"In our large projects, customers increasingly require Life Cycle Assessments (often already at the quotation and bidding stage, before design even begins). This series helped me think about how approaches used in the construction industry can be adapted to the manufacturing and industrial sector. I learned a great deal and hope it will open the door to future discussions and collaboration.”
"This is my first experience. Next time I will attend more."
Professor J.M. ROTTER was born in Chesterfield, England and graduated at Cambridge University when he was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to study in Australia. He got a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Sydney. His main specialty is the Buckling of Shells.
Jouko KOUHI is expert in Connections, welding, stability and fatigue of steel structures. He has been an active member of various ECCS Technical Committees since 1979, working on ENV 1993 part 1.8 from 1999 to 2002.
Frans BIJLAARD, Professor of steel structures at the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences at Delft University of Technology. His main specialties are on stability of steel structures, structural behaviour of joints in steel structures and design of greenhouses.
The involvement of Professor Jean Pierre MUZEAU in Education and his strong motivation in promoting the use of steel in construction over his career have to be underlined. He has been qualified as “Passeur de Connaissances” (Ndt : conveyor of knowledge) by the Members of the Jury who have underlined his prominent role among the young generations of civil engineers.
Prof. Joachim LINDNER got a 40-year academic career and extensive experience in civil engineering from lateral torsional buckling through contact splices, historical grey cast iron columns, fatigue behaviour, stability design of glass-beams, scaffolding design, crane girders, plate buckling problems, composite beams and columns, corrugated webs, connection problems and imperfection regulations. He signed around 220 publications.
Professor Reidar BJORHOVDE has an impressive academic background, including two Ph.D. in the area of Civil Engineering, and a remarkable professional career which includes several years as a Professor in various universities in North America. He also been the Director of Bjorhovde Group since 1998.
Professor Carlo URBANO has been active on ECCS committee “Stability of steel structures” since 1975. He has been also present on CEN, IABSE, SSRC committees. Graduated at the Politecnico di Milano in 1963, he dedicated his career to the “Strength of Materials”. He developed scientific research mainly on the general theory of elasticity, stability of elastic equilibrium, response to dynamics and elastoplastic vibrations, shell structures, solutions for steel and reinforced structures. Lately, he has focused his works on the elastic and elastoplastic stability of compressed simple or composed steel members in the presence of mechanical and geometrical imperfections and damages due to cyclic actions. He is the author of an incredible number of papers and publications.
Prof. Ing. Jean-Baptiste SCHLEICH will always be recognised as "Mr Fire” of Europe. He was the leading professor in the development of the "Natural Fire Safety Concept". Under his leadership, the relationship of the fire load to the risk to a structure and its occupants was researched and tested. It is due to his work that structures can now be fire engineered with a significant benefit to the industry, building owners and users.
Professor Manfred HIRT had been member of the various ECCS Technical Committees. He wrote more than 130 publications as author or co-author. Director of the Steel Structures Laboratory (ICOM) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), Prof. Hirt was known on the international scene for his expertise in the field of fatigue and fracture mechanics of steel structures, loads and action on structures, structural safety and serviceability and steel-concrete composite construction. In August 2003, he had been elected President of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).
Professor Giulio BALLIO was born in Rome, on 4 March 1940, and graduated in Aeronautical Engineering at the “Politecnico of Milan”, in 1963. He was Ordinario of the Science of Construction at Pavia University and, subsequently, of Construction in Steel at the Politecnico of Milan, where he has also been responsible, since 1985, for the Material Tests Laboratory.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard SEDLACEK, was a leading and opinion-forming person in various ECCS technical committees and subcommittees. He was one of the most active person in the European steel research sector as well as in the European codification field. His various activities covered a huge range beginning from intelligent design of steel and composite structures to researching, applying of research results, safety requirements, teaching and training of students and engineers, promotion and developing of steel structures and design tools for a better market share.
Professor Patrick DOWLING started his working life as an employee of BCSA and subsequently worked both in industry and academia. He was extensively involved with ECCS in plate buckling research and was Chairman of the CEN Eurocode 3 Committee.
When awarded, Professor Federico MAZZOLANI was Director of the “Institute of Technique of Construction” at the Engineering Faculty of Naples, Italy. Born in Milan, in 1938, and graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Naples, Prof. Federico M. Mazzolani co-operated since 1970 with ECCS, assuming the responsibility of Committee chairmanship. His activity has been characterised by the issue of several fundamental documents, which played a leader role in the development of the European codification at the level of both national codes and Eurocodes.
Scientific Manager and Deputy General Manager of the French Technical and Industrial Centre of Steel Construction (CTICM), Professor Jacques BROZZETTI contributed highly to the development of the European Steel Construction. He had a long involvement with various research projects including stability problems, composite construction, fatigue and fire behaviour of steel structures. As a result, he had been involved with many Codes and design guides comprising writing activities. He worked with the profession to promote the steel construction on its various aspects.
Prof. Jan W.B. STARK, from the University of Delft, The Netherlands, had made substantial contributions to the construction industry in general, and more specifically with regard to steel and composite structures. For many years, he had been an active member of CEN and served ECCS in various committees. The Charles Massonnet Award was presented to him to express our gratitude for his high standard and valuable contribution to the steel construction industry.
Close collaborator of Professor Charles Massonnet, Professor René MAQUOI, was awarded in recognition of his efforts for the development of steel and composite construction. Indeed, Professor Massonnet was his “master” and conducted his first step in the ECCS activities.
Frantisek Wald concentrates on the connection and fire design of steel structures. He prepared the component model for column bases and the component based finite element model of joints. He works in ECCS Technical Committee 10 - Structural joints and in Project team for preparation of standard - EN 1993-1-8:2020.
