Rehabilitation of existing steel structures, an integral part of the sustainable development

Abstract

Sustainable development is a fundamental objective of the European Union and it aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to fulfill their own needs. Its goal is the continuous improvement of quality of life and well-being of present and future generations, through an integrated approach between economic development and environmental protection. Rehabilitation of steel structures and historic steel bridges with long-life service is an integral part of maintaining and preserving existing heritage and can be also considered an act of culture. The paper describes the main steps needed to undertake the rehabilitation of existing steel structures and the possibility and necessity of a Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis in order to estimate the total cost and the Importance of the rehabilitation works.