Biobased houses in industrialized construction

Purpose and goal

The main goal was to reduce the climate impact of the Swedish construction industry. To do so, the focus was to enable a transition from conventional fossil-based insulation to a bio based alternative in the building envelope whilst also increasing the knowledge at industry and academia. Conducted research has primarily been around energy efficiency, which is the most important factor regarding insulation. The results show that bio based insulation, even though higher lambda-value, work as good as fossil-based insulation.

Expected results and effects

Bio based insulation materials have proven to be equal to fossil based. This has inspired some involved companies to try including bio based insulation into pilot projects, some dwellings have even been sold to customers. Involved companies have come much closer to implementing bio based insulation, even though some uncertainty still exists. However, the general consensus in the group is that bio based insulation is the likely future to reduce the climate impact of the industrial timber manufacturers.

Planned approach and implementation

The project was conducted in collaboration between academia and industry. The planned work packages had to be conducted in flipped order, due to the pandemic. Research was mainly conducted at academia, with continuous exchange with industry through workshops. Unfortunately, the workshops had to turn digital during the pandemic and some extra interactions were needed. However, after lifted restrictions, physical workshops were conducted as well as some pilot projects.