Sustainability assessment of bridge constructions

Sustainability assessment of bridge constructions. In the past, building structures were often regarded as functional buildings; their cultural significance as well as the interaction with the surrounding environment were frequently neglected. Within the scope of a growing demand for a holistic assessment of building activities, many evaluation criteria going beyond the pure manufacturing cost come to the fore. They are, however, not completely developed for infrastructure buildings. Up to now, no holistic, coordinated system is available facilitating a sustainability assessment similar to building construction. This article presents the current state of the sustainability assessment in bridge construction and shows existing problems and deficits by means of two application examples. In addition, problems to be solved in the future as well as approaches of assessment to be developed are discussed.