The 3 rd International Conference of EACEF (European Asian Civil Engineering Forum) S - 271 Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, INDONESIA, September 20-22, 2011 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN BANGLADESH (SC-057) Mohammed, T.U. 1 , Hasnat, A. 1 , Sarwar, N. 1 , Das, H.K. 1 , Miah, J.M. 1 , and Awal, M.A. 2 1 Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Asia Pacific (UAP), Dhaka, Bangladesh 2 The Structural Engineers Limited (SEL), Dhaka, Bangladesh e-mail of corresponding author: tarek@uap-bd.edu, ariful.hasnat@gmail.com, awalsel@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This paper presents the summary of some research works on the sustainable development of concrete construction works in Bangladesh. The scope of research work include: (1) causes of deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, (2) problems at construction sites that causes early deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, (3) quality of various cement brands commonly used in Bangladesh, (4) properties of concrete made with various aggregates commonly used in Bangladesh, (5) recycling of demolished concrete as coarse aggregate for new construction works, (6) recycling of demolished concrete (less than 5 mm in size) for making concrete blocks and (7) development of permeable concrete for special applications. Several important conclusions are drawn based on these studies that will play a vital role for sustainable development of concrete construction works in Bangladesh. Keywords: Cement, coarse aggregate, durability, recycling, sustainability. 1. INTRODUCTION Recently, huge number of construction projects are developing in the major cities of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, deterioration of some concrete structures is found after several years of construction. Therefore, with an aim of sustainable development of concrete construction works in Bangladesh, a research project has been started at The University of Asia Pacific (UAP) since 2004 considering the following points: • Causes of deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, • Problems at construction sites that causes early deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, • Quality of cement brands commonly used in Bangladesh, • Properties of concrete made with various aggregates commonly used in Bangladesh, • Recycling of demolished concrete as coarse aggregate for new construction, • Recycling of demolished concrete as fine aggregate for new construction, • Development of pervious concrete for limited applications. In this report, key results of the above-mentioned research topics are summarized. . Detailed results of these investigations can be obtained in References [1] ~ [3]. 2. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 2.1. Causes of Deterioration of Concrete Structures in Bangladesh To understand the possible causes of deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, a detailed survey of some buildings located at several districts were carried out. Typical photographs related to the deterioration of concrete structures are shown in Fig. 1. Based on the survey results, the main causes of deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh are: 1. Carbonation induced corrosion of steel bars (Fig. 1 a~c) 2. Chloride induced corrosion of steel bars (Fig. 1 d~e) 3. Drying shrinkage (Fig. 1f~h) 4. Mud in aggregate 5. Efflorescence in bricks (Fig. 1j) 6. Sulphate attack/ Chemical attack (Fig. 1m) 7. Leakage through joints (Fig. 1 k) 8. Heat of hydration 9. Thermal expansion (Fig. 1l) 10. Differential settlement (Fig. 1 i) 11. Lack of reinforcement in structural members 12. Lack of cover thickness of structural members