Retrofitting Concrete Structures - Essay Example

For instance, Flint (2014) opines that in the last three years China, an important economic powerhouse in the world, has used three times as much concrete as the United States has used in the last one hundred years. Such use of concrete only serves to cater to short and medium-term needs and in some cases the long-term solutions like the Los Angeles River Revitalization Project (Anthony, 2014). However, due to a change in time, tastes, functionality, and the development of green initiatives in structures and building spaces, most of the built environment may require retrofitting. 

The concrete main advantage in construction is its ability to last the entire life cycle of a structure. It does not corrode easily and gains strength over time.  However, the difficulty in retrofitting concrete structures is the primary disadvantage of the use of concrete. Retrofitting of concrete structures is expensive, results in a lot of construction waste, and requires specialized equipment like the jackhammers(Anthony, 2014). Therefore, in order to make a concrete structure easier to retrofit the conceptualization, planning, and design stage of the structures have to be clearly well thought out. This means the developers and the architects have to consider both the short and long-term uses of the structures. In addition, alternatives can be found in parts of structures that do not require concrete. For example, columns, pillars, beams require the use of concrete, on the other hand, wood or steel can be used for partitioning and floors.