HYDERABAD: Recomm­enda­tions at an international conference on ‘Sus­tainable Dev­elopment in Civil Engin­eering’ called for adopting sustainable approach while developing transportation infrastructure of China-Pakis­tan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Speakers said zero-energy buildings and concept of renewable energy resources had become need of the day espe­cially in this region. Building codes should be implemented, they said, and new ones should be introduced.

The conference concluded on Friday at the Mehran Uni­ver­sity of Engineering and Techno­logy (MUET) with a set of recommendations rega­r­ding civil engineering related to highway and traffic, geotechnical, structural, construction management, urban planning and architecture etc.

Around 17 technical sessions were held chaired by experts from countries like Thailand, England, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia, Japan as well as Pakistan. Numerous articles were presented in line with the consistent theme of the conference ie sustainable development, inc­lu­ding those of CPEC, zero-energy buildings, ear­th­quake and fire safety, disaster management, green buildings, sustainable tran­s­port, utilisation of natural and local materials, Indus delta and heritage preservation.

Design of high-rise buildings should include new strategies, including performance-based design and resilience-based design with safety standards, they said.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2017