<p>This paper shares the experiences of three groups of young engineers, who volunteered their spare time to work with the NGO Bridges to Prosperity in the design and construction of two suspension footbridges, in Rwanda and Panama, and a suspended bridge also in Panama. The purpose of this paper, using the context of the authors’ experiences in Rwanda and Panama, is to describe the processes involved in making a bridge reality and to highlight some of the key challenges of engineering design and construction in developing countries.</p>
<p>Arup has been working with Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) since 2010. B2P envisions a world where poverty caused by rural isolation no longer exists. This is achieved through the construction of footbridges over impassable rivers, providing access to healthcare, education, markets, and other pieces of vital infrastructure.</p><p>Whilst building a bridge in 2013 in Rwanda, the project team identified the need to evaluate the sustainability of the project. A new aim to integrate sustainability assessments into BridgeTOOL was considered and ASPIRE was identified as the tool to be used to identify sustainability gaps and to maximise the positive impacts of a project. ASPIRE was then used on the design and construction of the 46m span Ciricito Bridge in Panama with the data collected while on site and from wider information gathered from B2P.</p><p>This paper aims to highlight how approaching a project in a developing country from a sustainability point of view helps to understand the bigger picture and improve delivery and impact.</p>
<p>How can a bridge designer improve the sustainability credentials of the structures that he designs?</p><p>This paper illustrates how the designer of a bridge makes a difference in terms of sustainability by trying to minimize the quantities of “Capital Carbon”.</p><p>The study starts with the premise that an over-bridge is required to cross a road and 3 different bridge solutions are examined: single span, double span and triple span bridge.</p><p>A first conclusion was that the difference between concrete and steel options was smaller than the authors expected and that the double span overbridge option was most efficient, although not always feasible. This study also demonstrates clearly the Carbon advantages in using cement replacement materials in the UK. This very pronounced advantage would matter less in countries where cement can be manufactured using less carbon-based energy.</p>
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