Introduction
Ancient structures, which
are herein referred to as first-generation structures, were
built with natural materials such as stones, bricks and timbers.
Steel and concrete, which are man-made, provided the revolution
needed for modern structures (i.e. second-generation structures)
to cater for the infrastructure demands generated by rapid economic
growths, particularly following World War II. Extensive research
is now under way around the world to develop advanced technologies
to enhance the performance of structures. While these technological
advances are incremental in nature, they will eventually lead
to structures which are distinctly different from second-generation
structures. These new structures are therefore referred to as
third-generation structures. Future third-generation structures
may be expected to possess the following salient features:
- durable in the sense that they are highly
resistant to environmental degradation over time;
- intelligent, in the sense that they are able
to continuously monitor their own state of health and activate
the control devices when necessary to minimise the effects
of extreme loadings (e.g. strong winds, earthquakes, fires
and land slides) to ensure desirable structural performance;
and
- performance-oriented, in the sense that they
are designed and constructed to satisfy specific whole-life
system-level performance objectives.
We would like to call
thse third-generation structures as Intelligent High Performance
Structures. The mission of the Centre is therefore to:
- Develop a technological
basis for the realisation of high performance third generation
structures and for the performance enhancement of existing
second generation structures;
- Meet the demands of the
21st century for a safe and sustainable built environment.
The focus of the Centre will be on large civil
engineering structures such as tall buildings and long span
bridges, while the emphasis will be on the mitigation of hazards
including strong winds, earthquakes, fires and landslides
through the design and construction of safe, cost-effective
and durable structures.
The Centre is also a founding member of the Asian-Pacific
Network of Centres for Advanced Smart Structures Technology. |
