Timber construction as the key to CO2 reduction in the construction sector
TIMBERHAUS is the start of an EU-funded research project aimed at advancing timber construction in Europe. Over the course of four years, innovative technologies will be developed to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the construction sector and use wood more efficiently.
The European research project TIMBERHAUS was launched in Copenhagen at the beginning of November, Empa announced in a press release. It is one of 19 partners from a total of ten countries participating in the project, which is funded by the EU and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation to promote timber construction in Europe. Within four years, innovative timber construction technologies and structures are to be developed with which CO2 emissions in the construction sector can be significantly reduced.
According to Empa, the construction sector is responsible for 40 percent of global CO2 emissions. The use of wood could help here. Currently, however, European forest resources, half of which consist of hardwood, are only used “very inefficiently” and limited to a few types of softwood for construction, explains project coordinator Anders Kjellow from the Danish Technological Institute. “With TIMBERHAUS, we are trying to overcome this challenge in order to increase the sustainable use of wood in construction.”
Empa is contributing to the project with innovative prototypes created using digital tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. “The prototypes will serve as practical examples of how we can effectively utilize a wider range of wood resources,” Empa researcher Mark Schubert is quoted as saying in the press release. “Our goal is to provide the construction sector with viable and efficient products that meet current building standards while promoting the principles of the circular economy and supporting European climate goals.”