Impact of Climate Change on the Construction Industry in Egypt

Climate change is one of the most critical issues that need to be considered due to the massive effect that it is expected to have on different areas. However, through conducting primary research, it was noticed that this phenomenon was not the main concern for several individuals working in the construction engineering field. It was essential to start shedding light on this topic, and therefore, the main objective of this thesis project is to identify the long-term impacts of climate change globally and on the construction industry in Egypt in specific, with emphasis on a case study located in New Alamein City. The main impacts that this project is going to be based on are sea-level rise, carbonation, and an increase in temperature. The scope of this project includes assessing the main precautions that are currently being undertaken, especially in coastal areas, to overcome the effects of these specific impacts and to highlight and evaluate key actions to be taken by the construction industry through guidelines and provisions that can be introduced to the project specifications and the codes of practice. These guidelines will include some recommendations to the concrete mix design (such as increasing the concrete cover and decreasing the water to cement ratios), the type of breakwaters that can be used, a system of moisture insulation for foundations, and a system of thermal insulation for the building. This will be done through extensive research and through conducting experimental work.