Getting Students to Think Green: Incorporating Green Building Rating Systems into Undergraduate Reinforced Concrete Education

This paper presents a plan for introducing undergraduate students studying reinforced concrete design to sustainable engineering.As increased emphasis on sustainable development initiatives continue to gain popularity it is imperative that young engineers entering into the design and construction industries understand the potential that concrete has for building green.Beginning on the first day of instruction, students are encouraged to explore how the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can increase the amount of recycled content in the construction of a building.This theme continues as the students are required to develop and implement a plan to optimize the amount of granulated ground blast furnace slag, fly ash, and silica fume that can be included in a concrete mixture without adversely affecting characteristics such as strength, stiffness, and workability.After gathering data through hands-on laboratory testing, the students prepare a report recommending an optimal SCM content.This instruction method can fit easily into the existing curriculum of most undergraduate reinforced concrete design and laboratory courses.It introduces engineering students to the relevancy of reinforced concrete as a sustainable building option and lays the foundation for further study in this rapidly emerging field.