Sustainability assessment of concrete structures using the Spanish code ehe-2008: reflections and recommendations

Two of the authors of this paper were part of the team responsible for developing the new Appendix 13 to the Spanish Code for the Design of Concrete Structures (EHE-08). This code includes, for the first time in Spain, an Appendix (Appendix 13) for assessing the level of sustainability of a concrete structure. This has been an international pioneering experience. Appendix 13 uses a set of criteria related to the three columns of sustainability: the environmental, economic and social ones. Sometimes, due to the complexity inherent to construction projects, it is not easy to collect all the entry data needed for applying the Appendix. The objective of this paper is to solve some doubts that can arise when applying the appendix, presenting a computer application developed by the authors for this purpose, and explaining the way of applying the Appendix 13 by means of a case study solved with the new computer application.