Innovative Design For the Future - Use and Reuse of Wood (Building) Components “InFutUReWood”
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB - RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Skellefteå |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 4 750 000 |
| Project duration | January 2019 - February 2022 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Forest Value ERA-NET cofund |
Important results from the project
The InFutUREWood project aimed to answer the question: "How should we build today to be able to circulate timberin the future?" The project covers both the design of new buildings and the reuse of wood from buildings already at the end of their useful life. Buildings built so far generally take a long time to dismantle. For economic reasons, they are usually demolished and incinerated instead of being dismantled so that reuse is possible. Therefore, the philosophy of Design for deconstruction and reuse DfD&R needs to be practiced enabling the reuse of timber buildings and components.
Expected long term effects
DfDR can be implemented with small changes and existing technologies. DfDR can contribute to reduce the environmental impacts of timber frames for residential buildings. Products from recovered timber tested structurally show similar properties to equivalent new products. Environmental benefits can be achieved from the use of recovered solid timber in high-quality CLT panels. Recovered spruce and oak shows promising results of stiffness and density compared to new timber. A new framework for strength grading was developed. There is a huge amount of wood in existing buildings
Approach and implementation
Three methods were developed to plan and optimize primary design for deconstruction and reuse, rather than demolition: a qualitative method to assess and improve an existing design, an assessment tool producing a ReBuilding Index for industry needs, a Decision Matrix for designers. Cases studies carried out with manufacturers show that timber building designs are relatively well adapted for deconstruction today. Simple changes in design are sometimes enough to augment the reuse potential of a component. There are many possible ways to structure guidelines, Deconstruction Plans.