Sustainable Structural Design: Comprehensive Literature Review

Research on sustainable structural design (SSD) has increased significantly over the past decade. Having established the importance of structural engineering in sustainable development, researchers and practitioners have developed sustainable design strategies to address the impact of structural systems on the environment, economy, and society. Nevertheless, many studies have pointed out the inadequacy of existing assessment tools and the lack of overall understanding regarding the role of civil engineers and structural engineers in achieving sustainable goals. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of SSD, focusing on design strategies, parameters for SSD, and the role of SSD in Green Building rating systems and building codes. First, the authors will clearly identify research results in this field and then point out the biggest issues when choosing SSD strategies and evaluation parameters. To conclude, this paper will discuss the characteristic tasks of structural engineers with a particular emphasis on the concepts of structural performances, design service-life, and probabilistic approach.