Future World Needs Sustainable Construction- A Historical Reference

A Sustainable World

Construction, Repairing and Maintenance

3 modern buzz words of our ERA which goes simultanously with any infrastructural development activity i.e. you construct a facility, then to sustain it you need to maintain it and maintenance needs repairing at regular intervals.

We can not plan and imagine any infrastructural activity budget without allocating a substantial percentage of fund for repair and maintenance of the same. Still life of the structure can not be assured for even 100 years confidently despite all this hassles. 

Infrastructure is booming up and being developed at very fast pace all around the world. It has become almost synonymous primary factor with country's growth and future development. But the question of the hour is- Are we building an Infrastructure Durable and Sustainable enough to serve our future generations too?

Lets have a look at era of construction of some famous infrastructure (Monuments) from our history around the World-

Great Wall of China, China                     -  Constructed Around 7th Century B.C.

Petra, Jordan                                               -              Constructed Around 100 BCE

Machu Picchu, Peru                                     -              Constructed Around 1450 CE

Chichen Itza, Mexico                                   -              Constructed Around 600 CE

Colosseum, Italy                                         -               Constructed Around 80 CE

Taj Mahal, India                                          -               Constructed Around 1648 CE

Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt                     -            Constructed Around 2560 BCE

These are those examples of infrastructure marvels that have not only withstood the test of time but also had able to maintain adequate foothold till date without much repairing and maintenance activity.All these were sustainable and durable enough to withstand not only expectations of multiple generations but also deteriorating forces of nature.                                                                                                                                                                                         We can learn and deduce a lot of information from our history by analysing these structures for- Material Used by them, Construction techniques employed by our ancestors and their designing and planning methodolgy. This information can be very well employed to use with aid of our modern technology and resources to build a more durable and sustainable world. eg- In Construction of Great Wall of China, local materials were used in building keeping in mind economy and harmony with local environment. In construction of Taj Mahal wooden foundations were used fully submerged in Yamuna  Water, refer                                          "Taj Mahal & Its Wood Foundation"                                                                                                                                                                                               This is other side of Story that due to pollution, devasting earthquakes and human interference these structure are in a state of deterioration today and demands much attention along with restoration works.

		Although a significant repairing and maintenance activity can not be "zeroed in", focus should be on minimising it by building a more durable and sustainable infrastructure.
		In the field of Construction it is often said that "Experience is the best teacher" and we can not get a more better account of such details in trails of Experience left by our ancestors embedded in our Historical Monuments and Marvels.
		Explore, Explore, Explore - The Experience of Ancestors in Galore