There is a “silent hazard” lurking underneath our major global cities, and our buildings were not designed to handle it
There is a “silent hazard” lurking underneath our major global cities, and our buildings were not designed to handle it.
A new Northwestern University study has, for the first time, linked underground climate change to the shifting ground beneath urban areas. As the ground heats up, it also deforms. This phenomenon causes building foundations and the surrounding ground to move excessively (due to expansions and contractions) and even crack, which ultimately affects structures’ long-term operational performance and durability. Researchers also report that past building damage may have been caused by such rising temperatures and expect these issues to continue for years to come.
Although rising temperatures do pose a threat to our infrastructure, the researchers also view it as a potential opportunity. By capturing the waste heat emitted underground from subterranean transportation systems, parking garages and basement facilities, urban planners could mitigate the effects of underground climate change as well as reuse the heat into an untapped thermal energy resource.
Read more at: Northwestern University
Geological layers beneath the Chicago Loop (Photo Credit: Alessandro Rotta Loria/Northwestern University)
