What does it take to win at the Olympics? For Pierre Engel, chief engineer at ArcelorMittal, victory took years of experience, precision, and collaboration. He was aided by kit made entirely of a novel material—low carbon recycled steel.

Pierre’s challenge shared much with those faced by Olympians. But he wasn’t skipping rope to keep himself within his weight class—he was shaving kilos from three of the Olympics’ most important symbols, in order to help deliver this years’ games with half the carbon impact of London 2012.

Pierre joins this bonus episode to explain the engineering that supports the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower, and the Agitos on the Arc de Triomphe, without drilling into these world famous monuments. And, he says, the techniques and materials employed for these spectaculars could one day help slash the carbon impact of construction around the world.

Guest

Prof. Pierre Engel, chief engineer, ArcelorMittal

Photo credit: Geraldine Bruneel