© Bauhaus der Erde gGmbH / Adrian Foong
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New project – TIMBERHAUS – will rethink timber construction in Europe
Date
2/12/2024
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TIMBERHAUS kicks off its mission to advance wood construction in Europe, aiming to slash the built environment's carbon footprint.
On 5 and 6 November 2024, TIMBERHAUS, a new European research and innovation project kicked off in Copenhagen. The event was led by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI). TIMBERHAUS aims to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the construction sector by developing innovative wood construction technologies and design solutions.
The construction sector is responsible for 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions, 50 per cent of all extracted materials, and 35 per cent of waste generated worldwide. Despite their recognized climate and carbon removal benefits, widespread adoption of wood materials in the construction sector remains slow. TIMBERHAUS seeks to accelerate the uptake of wood in construction by harnessing the potential of currently under-used hardwood species and post-consumer wood to create sustainable, high-performance construction products and designs, and enable more efficient use of forest resources.
“We are very inefficient in our use of forest resources when it comes to construction products. About 50 per cent of European forests are made up of hardwood species, but they make up less than 5 per cent of commercial wood construction products. The wood construction value chain is based on a few softwood species, which makes it inefficient and vulnerable. In TIMBERHAUS, we try to tackle this challenge to increase the sustainable use of wood construction”
- Project Coordinator Anders Kjellow, Danish Technological Institute.
© Bauhaus der Erde gGmbH / Adrian Foong
Launch event of TIMBERHAUS project, © Fondazione ICONS
Prototypes to demonstrate potential
TIMBERHAUS will use digital tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop innovative prototypes that demonstrate the potential of under-used wood resources in construction. These include engineered wood products designed for load-bearing structures in multi-story buildings, as well as flooring solutions that incorporate hardwoods and post-consumer wood.
“The prototypes will serve as practical examples of how we can use a wider range of wood resources effectively. We aim to provide the construction sector with viable, high-performance products that meet current building standards while promoting circular economy principles and supporting Europe's climate goals”
-Mark Schubert, Group leader, WoodTec, Empa.
Beyond technological innovations
TIMBERHAUS closely aligns with the New European Bauhaus initiative, integrating sustainability with aesthetic and social values. The project will develop wood-building blueprints that enhance human health and well-being while incorporating local cultural traditions and design languages. These designs will be co-created with stakeholders in partner cities Berlin (Germany), Baia Mare (Romania), and Siena (Italy), ensuring they meet local needs and preferences.
“Our approach in TIMBERHAUS goes beyond just using wood as a sustainable material. We're designing living spaces that improve human health and well-being. By combining traditional woodworking techniques with modern design principles, we're creating buildings that not only reduce carbon emissions but also provide comfortable, healthy, and culturally rich environments for people to live and work in”
-Kirsten Haggart, Waugh Thistleton Architects.
European collaboration
The project builds upon ongoing and concluded research and innovation projects and initiatives on similar topics, such as Build-in-Wood and WOODCIRCLES, where several TIMBERHAUS partners were involved. "This is a great opportunity for raising the project's profile”, stated Luisa de Amicis, Project Management Officer at ICONS, the organization in charge of promoting the project. ICONS will lead the dissemination of the project results and the scaling up and replication of the solutions developed.
The project, co-funded by the EU and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), involves 19 partners and will run for 4 years from November 2024 to October 2028.
Partners
