Made of Steel > Building tomorrow > Dassault Systèmes®

EPISODE 2: MADE OF STEEL

Choosing the right material is critical when it comes to limiting the carbon footprint
of a building; it is its entire lifecycle that experts must analyze and optimize.

Watch Episode 2

Steel decarbonization: making construction strong and sustainable

Steel – strong, flexible, and affordable – is of paramount importance to the global construction industry. Far more advanced than the iron beams used for the original Eiffel Tower back in 1887, steel is the perfect building material for any project of a similar scale. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most carbon-intensive materials in the world. 

That meant that designers working on the new tower needed to promote sustainability in creative ways when working with steel. To achieve this, they needed to transform the approach to design and operate, all across the steel production value chain.

Around 80%* of a product’s lifetime carbon emissions are determined by decisions made during the design stage. Being able to get a robust and accurate understanding of the environmental impact of options from the outset can help teams make better sustainability decisions.

There are solutions out there for these problems. One of the most powerful ways to minimize carbon emissions, and limit the overall carbon footprint of the tower, is to transform how steel is mined and produced. New hydrogen-based reduction processes are helping solve this decarbonization challenge for steel

And in parallel to these steel decarbonization measures, optimization tools can identify areas of low efficiency in operations and improve the sustainability of existing steelmaking facilities. By utilizing virtual twins and simulation software, stakeholders can more effectively design, build, and operate those facilities.

And just as they did with managing resource use , the design team were also able to use digital solutions to optimize where they source the steel from, how they would transport it, and how they would improve its use, without compromising strength and performance. Through the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, teams would be able to collaborate easily with steel manufacturers and suppliers to make sure the carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.

The tower’s designers also used the platform’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) capabilities to assign environmental impact scores to each process, from mining to manufacturing, and from plant to tower, and used that information to help shape decision-making and inform future projects. It even assisted with defining end-of-life recycling operations, helping make steel the perfect material for a circular economy.

*Source: McKinsey&Company - Product sustainability: Back to the drawing board - February 7, 2022.

Building with more sustainable & performant materials thanks to the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform.

Jacques Beltran > Building tomorrow > Dassault Systèmes®
Corinne BULOTA
Vice-President, Infrastructure, Energy & Materials, Dassault Systèmes

Understand the impact of materials with Antoine Lafont de Sentenac

Click below to learn more about how the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform allows to implement "sustainability by design" at each step of the asset lifecycle. In this episode you will also discover how our experts addressed different aspects of steel manufacturing process to limit the environmental impact of the new tower.

Metal producers empowered by digitalization and better data

Reducing carbon emissions and increasing profitability at the same time is now possible for the metal industry players thanks to the digitalization of their operations.

Unlock the Sustainable Value Path for Metals Industry Transformation

How metals producers can transform operations for efficiency, sustainability and future competitiveness

Discover more of the Building Tomorrow series

Leave Nothing to Change > Building tomorrow > Dassault Systèmes®
EPISODE 1: LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE
Designing a project as complex as the Eiffel Tower leaves no room for error. The virtual twin helps public authorities to collaborate, test, assess, and make science-based decisions at every step of the process.
EARLIER LOGISTICS ARE EFFICIENT LOGISTICS > Image > Dassault Systèmes®
EPISODE 3: EARLIER LOGISTICS ARE EFFICIENT LOGISTICS
Thinking about logistics earlier and gaining flexibility to make decisions that can reduce the carbon footprint of a project, as well as building greater resilience to supply chain disruption.
OBJECTIVE: SELF-SUFFICIENCY > Image > Dassault Systèmes®
EPISODE 4: OBJECTIVE: SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Creating a virtual twin of the tower meant its operations’ management could be conceptualized with carbon neutrality by design, from the earlier stage.
A Brave New World of Building > Building tomorrow > Dassault Systèmes®
EPISODE 5: A BRAVE NEW WORLD OF BUILDING
Productization shakes up the construction world and transform the value chain by accelerating the design, delivery, and assembly of unique and sustainable buildings.

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© design of the new tower by Nicolas Laisné Architectes