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InFutUReWood
Innovative Design for the Future – Use and Reuse of Wood (Building) Components (InFutUReWood)
Introduction
Building in wood is a priority in most European countries as part of a strategy to convert from fossil-dependency to a sustainable, bio-based economy. The timber construction sector is growing and innovative, with new methods of building and new engineered wood products, composites and treatments. This project looks one step into the future to ask: “How should we build today to be able to circulate tomorrow?”
To answer this question, we need to know how we should design timber buildings, and wood based construction products, from the perspective of reuse and recoverability. To better understand how design and construction impact on material reuse and recirculation we need to know how choices made in the past are affecting current practice in renovation and demolition. This will inform us about what problems are likely with current methods of building – particularly those that contain large volumes of timber. We will also look at the reuse of current reclaimed wood, and other timber not currently entering the circular economy, in these new constructions.
Objectives
Main objectives of InFutUReWood project are:
- To develop a method for ensuring the future possibility of circulation of timber
- To design for deconstruction
- To reduce environmental impacts during construction and deconstruction
- To develop a grading system for recovery timber
- To identify new construction products from recovery timber
- To examine the business, economic, and environmental factors over the life-cycle
- Technology transfer to the industry
Project Team
- Prof. Annette M. Harte, Irish Project Coordinator and Principal Investigator, NUI Galway
- Dr. Daniel F. Llana, Post-doctoral Researcher, NUI Galway (Mar 2019 - Mar 2020)
- Dr. Caitríona Uí Chúláin, Post-doctoral Researcher, NUI Galway (May 2020 -)
European Project Partner Leaders
- Research Institutes of Sweden RISE (Skellefteå, Sweden) Project coordinator
- Aalto-yliopisto (Espoo, Finland)
- Edinburgh Napier University (Edinburgh, UK)
- Technische Universität München TUM (Munich, Germany)
- University College Dublin UCD (Dublin, Ireland)
- Univerza v Ljubljani (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid UPM (Madrid, Spain)
Industrial Project Partners
Three Irish industrial partners are on board:
- Connaught Timber, Derrybeg, Co. Galway (Connaught Timber is a manufacturer of a large range of products from recycled timber including garden sheds, pallets, and decking)
- Hegarty Demolition, Dublin (Hegarty is the largest demolition company in Ireland with over 40 years of experience)
- SIP Energy, Athenry, Co. Galway (SIP Energy manufacture Structural Insulated Panel Building systems and construct SIP buildings)
News and Events
12-15/07/20 - 63rd SWST Convention (Slovenia)
Dr Caitríona Uí Chúláin from Timber Engineering Research Group NUIG attended the 63rd Society of Wood Science and Technology International Convention that took place online due to Covid-19. The event was attended by 459 participants from 52 countries. This year the conference was focused on “Renewable Resources for a Sustainable and Healthy Future”. A research work titled “Recovered Wood as Raw Material for Structural Timber Products. Characteristics, Situation and Study Cases: Ireland and Spain” and elaborated by the Timber Engineering Research Group NUIG in collaboration with our Spanish partner the Timber Construction Research Group from the Technical University of Madrid was presented during the conference.
31/03/20 - InFutUReWood Project meeting in NUI Galway postponed
Students, researchers, and industry partners were due meet from the 31st of March to the 1st of April at the National University of Ireland Galway to share their results and plan the next steps in the InFutUReWood project. This meeting has been postponed as a result of the recent outbreak of Covid-19. This meeting will be scheduled for a later date. This is the 3rd project meeting, after the Edinburgh and Ljubljana meetings in 2019. A year has gone by from the beginning of the project and much work is ready for discussion. Around 30 people from 7 European countries are expected to attend the meeting.
The meeting is hosted by Prof. Annette M. Harte, leader of the Timber Engineering Research Group of NUI Galway.
06/02/20 - Demolition site visit, Stillorgan, Ireland
Dr. Daniel F. Llana from the Timber Engineering Research Group at NUI Galway and our project partner Mr St John Walsh from the University College Dublin visited the Oaktree Business Centre (two-storey 1980s) which is being demolished by Hegarty Demolition. Images below show the careful methodology implemented during the strip-out process and the segregation of different construction materials for recycling purposes. Some timber from the roof trusses was recovered for experimental purposes at NUI Galway. A tour of the site, courtesy of Joe Coleman, provided much useful information about demolition techniques in Ireland.
17/01/20 - InFutUreWood visit Thorntons Recycling
Dr. Daniel F. Llana from the Timber Engineering Research Group at NUI Galway and our project partner Mr St John Walsh from the University College Dublin visited Thorntons recycling facilities in Fassaroe, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Wood waste is previously segregated from other waste in a different Thorntons facility arriving only wood in Fassaroe. All wood waste is processed together (sawn timber, furniture, packaging…) to final wood chips for different end-uses (energy production, composting and panels blocks). A tour of the facilities, courtesy of David Duff, provided a great understanding of the waste recycling process.
03/12/19 - InFutUreWood visit Allied Recycling
Dr. Daniel F. Llana from the Timber Engineering Research Group at NUI Galway and our project partner Mr St. John Walsh from the University College Dublin visited Allied Recycling in Clonmellon, Co. Westmeath, Ireland. Allied Recycling is one of the biggest recycling companies in Ireland dealing with all kinds of waste. Wood waste is segregated from other waste, pallets are sold and the other wood waste send to a specializes wood waste recycling facility (OCR in Roscommon). A tour of the facilities, courtesy of Aaron Fox and Kieran Kelly, provided a great understanding of the waste recycling process.
24-27/09/19 - 21st NDT Conference (Freiburg, Germany)
Dr. Daniel F. Llana from Timber Engineering Research Group-NUIG attended the 21st International Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood Symposium that took place in Freiburg im Breisgau, BW, Germany. The event was attended by 140 participants from 31 countries dealing with a wide range of topics related to nondestructive testing (NDT) applied on timber.
17-18/09/19 - InFutUreWood Project Meeting (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Prof. Annette M. Harte and Dr. Daniel F. Llana represented Timber Engineering Research Group-NUIG at the InFutUReWood meeting that took place at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). This was the second of seven partners meetings of the InFutUReWood project.
17/09/19 - ZAG Civil Engineering Institute Visit
Prof. Annette M. Harte and Dr. Daniel F. Llana visited the ZAG Civil Engineering Institute (Slovenian national building and civil engineering institute) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. There was a demonstration of novel CLT connections for racking resistance.
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21/08/19 - InFutUReWood visit OCR Waste Management
Prof. Annette M. Harte and Dr Daniel F. Llana from the Timber Engineering Research Group at NUI Galway and our project partner Dr Elizabeth Shotton from the University College Dublin visited OCR Waste Management in Co. Roscommon, Ireland. O’Connor Recycling Ltd. is one of the biggest recycling companies in Ireland dealing with wood waste. A tour of the facilities, courtesy of Deirdre O'Connor, provided a great understanding of the wood waste recycling process.
30/07/19 - Demolition Site Visit, Dublin, Ireland
Dr Daniel F. Llana from the Timber Engineering Research Group-NUI Galway and our project partner Dr Elizabeth Shotton and St John Walsh from University College Dublin visited Davitt House (five-storey 1970s) and Seagrave House (four-storey 1960s) in Dublin, Ireland which are being demolished by Hegarty Demolition. Images below show the careful methodology implemented during the strip-out process and the segregation of different construction materials for recycling purposes. A tour of the site, courtesy of Paul Hogan, provided much useful information about demolition techniques in Ireland.
11/07/19 - Circular Economy Conversations - Construction and Demolition
Dr. Daniel F. Llana from the Timber Engineering Research Group-NUI Galway attended this interesting event focused on circular economy strategies in buildings construction and demolition at the Rediscovery Center, Ballymun, Dublin. Shane Colgan from EPA, Mark Kelly from GMIT, Marion Jammet from IGBC, Tom Woolley from Anglia Ruskin University, Robert Davys from ABK Architects and David Cheshire from AECOM presented different aspects of circular economy in construction and demolition process followed by a vivid discussion.
06-07/03/19 - InFutUReWood kick-off meeting
Prof. Annette M. Harte represented NUI Galway at the InFutUReWood kick-off meeting that took place at Edinburgh Napier University (UK). This was the first of seven partners meetings of the InFutUReWood project.
Publications
InFuUReWood Report 1:
Design for deconstruction and reuse of timber structures - state of the art review,
Dec 2020 Download
Links
Project InFutUReWood is supported under the umbrella of ERA-NET Cofund ForestValue. ForestValue has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 773324.
Project part-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the DAFM research funding program. Project ref: 18CENForestValue1
