Heat pumps, 3D printing and ‘smart screws’: 5 most-read construction and building services stories 2022

What will the buildings of the future look like? Will they have heat pumps, or ‘smart screws’ that send warnings when they are coming loose? Will they be built by 3D printer, or even by drone? How sustainable will they be? This year’s top stories had some answers – and some more questions.

Here are the five most-read Professional Engineering construction and building services stories of 2022. Click on the links throughout to read the full stories. 

Is the heat pump goal just hot air?

The way our homes are heated is broken and the UK government has a plan to fix it, wrote Rich McEachran is this year’s most-read article – replacing old gas boilers with low-carbon heat pumps, installing 600,000 of them a year by 2028. But with environmental hurdles, energy efficiency issues and high costs, is the goal just hot air?

3D printing builds reputation

Additive manufacturing is beginning to gain popularity with architects and construction firms, wrote Tom Austin-Morgan in February. Benefits can include faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient construction. Concrete 3D printers produce minimal waste, the article said, while also reducing the number of staff on site and the length of supply chains.

The 3D printing drones

In September, a team of autonomous drones worked together to 3D print structures out of a cement-like material. Inspired by natural builders such as bees and wasps, the aerial additive manufacturing (Aerial-AM) system uses a fleet of drones working from a single blueprint. The approach could be useful for on-site repairs or construction in difficult-to-access and dangerous locations, according to the system’s developers at Imperial College London and Empa. 

‘Smart’ screws send warnings 

New ‘smart’ screws will send warnings when they are coming loose to help keep tall buildings, bridges, wind turbines and other structures safe, according to their developers. Aimed at providing a reliable and self-powered means of remote monitoring, the Smart Screw Connection from the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Internet Technologies in Germany combines sensors and radio technology to increase safety and reduce inspection time.  

Natural fibres and waste materials boost concrete sustainability

Natural fibres and waste products can replace synthetic reinforcement materials to make a more sustainable type of concrete, said researchers from Flinders University in Australia. The team, also including experts from the US and Turkey, said geopolymers reinforced with renewable natural fibres and made with industrial by-products and waste-based sands from lead smelting or glass-making can match the strength and durability of those containing natural sand. 

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.