IABSE Workshop hybrid2014

Most evolution leaps in structural engineering were related to the arrival of new construction materials, new construction and erection techniques or smart combinations of the existing in new types of structures and structural members. Reinforcing concrete with mild or prestressing steel, the cantilever construction method, steel-concrete and timber-concrete composite construction, or fiber-reinforced polymers are witnesses to this development, to only mention a few. The main drawback of most construction materials used to today, however, is a lack of sustainability. The economically most successful construction methods – reinforced concrete, steel and masonry – exploit non-renewable natural resources, demand a lot of energy for production and transportation or are difficult to recycle. Hybrid construction is novel or unusual merging of structural materials and structural elements providing an overall performance superior to the sum of its components, thereby going substantially beyond traditional and conventional composite structures (e.g. steel-concrete, timber-concrete). Innovative structural engineering solutions combine different materials, construction detailing and smart construction processes and techniques in a way that offers the most effective answer to fulfilling specific performance criteria and to supporting the objectives of sustainability in construction. The workshop’s objective is to explore and demonstrate the potential of hybrid structures for more sustainable construction of buildings