Sacyr's Blog

Only 1% of all steel manufactured is lost to landfills. The world's most recycled building material is reused again and again to build all kinds of structures. We can save resources, costs and energy by reusing steel, glass and concrete. While human civilization has been striving for centuries to build ever more colossal structures, such as skyscrapers, it is now seeking ways to give their components a second life.

From robots that deliver coffee to chairs that rearrange themselves after a meeting, this is the challenge facing two large companies with an ambitious goal: to transform an area equivalent to about 200 football fields into a smart city project run solely by artificial intelligence.

In order to prevent falls during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, a safety net was installed under the structure. Workers also wore face masks, anti-glare goggles and wind cream. To successfully erect this megastructure, multiple technical, safety and economic barriers had to be overcome.

While skyscrapers make the most of vertical space, they also pose significant safety and economic challenges. China has banned the construction of buildings taller than 500 metres. We investigate the extent to which building height can become an insurmountable handicap.

From churches that don’t degrade over time to swimwear that minimises the friction of the swimmer or packaging that repels its contents, nanotechnology is already sparking a veritable revolution in the development of new materials. Here we take a look at the sectors in which nanotech provides differential value versus those in which the "nano" label on consumer products is pure marketing.