The recent condo collapse in Florida serves as a reminder, that many concrete structures are overdue for millions in repairs. And already it's evident how rusting steel contributed to the condo's demise. But what makes steel rebar so important for concrete construction in the first place? Indeed, this is far more than a cost concern for residential condo owners, since much of a nation's physical infrastructure is also composed of concrete and steel. At the very least, a recent Axios article notes some possibilities which might lessen long term maintenance costs for physical infrastructure:
The rebar can be made more resistant to rust, by coating it in zinc, or passing an electric current through it, or making it out of glass-fiber reinforced polymer, or carbon fiber, or bronzed aluminum, instead of steel. Such actions involve greater upfront cost, while saving a lot of money over the long term.
It's even possible that some concrete buildings might not need any reinforcement at all, so long as the concrete is only under compression. No steel rebar means no erosion, after all. But that's still a step too far for most architects and engineers - and most buildings will always end up passing some kind of steel pipes through the external concrete, for things like water, gas, and electricity.
While the above recommendations could prove helpful, the higher upfront costs of those initial suggestions are less likely to be adopted in residential construction, where individual owners bear ultimate responsibility for both upfront costs and long term maintenance. What about the possibility of relying on compression instead of steel rebar? For one, I question the rationale that people should pass pipes and wiring through walls to building interiors for utility needs. Not only does this procedure mean higher upfront costs, but it includes long term maintenance requirements which have become prohibitive for lower income groups.
Fortunately there are viable ways to avoid internal utility installations, altogether. It's time to explore the advantages of external utility compartments, which could be designed without "permanent" connections to building materials such as wood, brick, stone or concrete. Only recall how many of these connections have to be broken, sooner or later.
External and detachable utility compartments would not only benefit individual property owners, but also those with shared ownership in multi level building construction. The adoption of such technology should make it simple to embrace concrete construction which relies on compression rather than steel rebar. While external utilities might limit design ideas for internal floor space and layout, that would be a small sacrifice, given the ultimate gains in both initial and long term building costs.
Much about future growth and prosperity, depends on our ability to improve building construction of all kinds. Let's contribute to the process with improvements in flexible design. Granted, as a older Baby Boomer, I know it's a bit late to expect innovation which translates into affordable housing retirement options for myself. Indeed, the main affordable "options" for many retirees are deteriorated older homes in need of extensive utility renovations! Small wonder some Baby Boomers are remaining in place (with sizable homes consequently kept out of the marketplace), when they would otherwise seek to downsize.
In all of this, recent questioning about the safety of old condos (many of which house older folks), puts additional housing supply pressures on communities which refuse land sales for tiny homes. This especially affects retirees who lack the stamina to start over with dilapidated housing stock, and recognize tiny homes as a cost effective, low maintenance way to avoid doing so! But who knows, within the next decade, communities might become open to zoning which better reflects retiree's needs. Plus, architects and engineers could also embrace external utility compartment design. If they do, that would benefit people of all ages and income levels, not just retirees. External utility compartments would also make it easier for people of all ages and incomes to renovate older housing stock, some of which otherwise is likely to be demolished due to long term neglect. With a little luck, perhaps the last of the Baby Boomers will finally gain real retirement housing options which retirees such as myself only dream about.
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