Sustainability

Ruamoko Solutions is very supportive of initiatives to adopt principles of sustainability in the construction of buildings.

We can contribute by offering alternative designs which incorporate a greater use of sustainable materials such as timber instead of steel/concrete etc.

We understand that sustainability principles extend for the lifetime of the building and beyond, so we work closely with architects and services engineers to incorporate structure with building systems that include passive solar heating concrete elements and insulated thermomass concrete panels.

Our specialist services in seismic assessment, strengthening and retrofitting existing buildings promote recycling of buildings as a whole. We support initiatives to reduce material wastage during construction, sensible selection of structural materials that recognise the relative energy required to create them, and the reuse of recycled materials such as demolition concrete used as aggregate. As structural engineering is a paper-hungry industry, we also incorporate strict in-house waste reduction policies in our office.

Cost savings are not the only benefits of efficient structural design. Efficient and innovative design methods can cut down the amount of carbon-producing materials such as steel and cement. Using these materials only where necessary reduces the global carbon footprint of the structures we design. We believe that smarter engineering such as post-earthquake “damage-avoidance design” and innovation regarding changing and reconfiguring buildings without having to demolish them forms a part of reducing a carbon footprint.

We are pleased to work with clients who have a strong sustainability focus and have enjoyed working on many green star buildings.