EP #161: Should We Stop Designing Concrete for 100 Years?

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ON THIS EPISODE OF THE CONCRETE LOGIC PODCAST

Should we really design concrete infrastructure for 75 to 100 years?

In this episode, Seth is joined by Dr. Jon Belkowitz to question one of civil engineering’s favorite ideas: the 100-year design life.

Using Hoboken, New Jersey as the example, Seth and Jon talk about what happens when old infrastructure has to serve a city that no longer looks, moves, or functions the way it did when that infrastructure was built.

The issue is not just whether the concrete lasts.

The bigger question is whether the original decision still makes sense.

Jon argues that the industry should stop designing only for age and start designing around use, performance, maintenance cycles, and accountability.

Maybe a 20-year design life with zero maintenance is harder, and more honest, than a 100-year design life nobody is around to answer for.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

· Why Dr. Jon Belkowitz questions the 100-year design life

· What Hoboken, New Jersey teaches us about old infrastructure