Disaster and climate resilience in civil engineering focuses on the ability of structures and systems to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adverse events, particularly those exacerbated by climate change, such as floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, and wildfires. The principles of creating resilient infrastructure involve preparation, adaptation, and recovery. The resilience to disasters and climate change is becoming increasingly crucial due to more frequent and severe weather events. Strategies for enhancing the resilience of buildings cover various aspects, from choice of materials to design principles.
There are six principles for engineers to follow when creating resilient infrastructure:
- Adaptive Transformation: Infrastructure should be capable of adapting to unexpected events and evolving roles.
- Environmental Integration: Infrastructure must be integrated with the environment, using nature-based solutions and considering the ecosystem in decision-making.
- Protection by Design: This involves considering the potential hazards that an infrastructure may face and designing with those hazards in mind.
- Social Engagement: Infrastructure should facilitate awareness and proper usage among communities.
- Shared Responsibility: Collaborative data and knowledge sharing are essential for understanding and managing risks.
- Continuous Learning: Decision-makers should regularly review and adapt strategies to optimise infrastructure resilience.
The Sustainable Engineered Construction Material group at Queensland University of Technology has implemented substantial advancements in adopting innovative design methodologies. These methodologies aim to enhance the resilience of structures subjected to severe weather conditions. The efficacy of these novel ideas has been established through extensive research. Some of the most effective strategies and their outcomes have been documented in peer-reviewed Q1 journals, receiving endorsements and praise from experts in the field for the group’s innovative tactics in fortifying structures against extreme stressors.