Kreislauffähige Holzfassade
In this project, is going to be developed a new generation of wooden façade systems meeting future circular requirements from ecological and economic perspectives considering the customers’ expectations.
Factsheet
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Schools involved
School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering
Business School - Institute(s) Institute for Building Materials and Biobased Products IBBM
- Research unit(s) Wood Modification and Gluing Technology group FGHV
- Strategic thematic field Thematic field "Sustainable Development"
- Funding organisation BFH
- Duration (planned) 01.04.2024 - 30.09.2024
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Thomas Volkmer
- Project staff Prof. Dr. Nadine Gurtner
- Keywords wooden facade, Innovation, circular economy
Situation
The proportion of timber facades in larger buildings increased from 9.8% to 20.3% in the period from 2011 and 2021 (Holzbau Schweiz). Regarding the construction costs of a building, only about 10% are allocated to the facade, although it is responsible for 90% of the building purchase decision (Volkmer 2021). According to the study "Wood Consumption" by BFH, a total of 653,520 m3 of wood was used for timber facades between 2016 and 2020, which corresponds to approximately 2.5% of the total annual timber harvest. The production of the new facade slats with water-based coating emits 100 kg CO2-eq./m3. This emission is reduced by 1/3 through the reuse of timber facades (Fuchs 2023) and can effectively combate material scarcity.
Course of action
The mapping workshop "Timber Facades in the Circular Economy" with relevant stakeholders (architects, sawmills, wood processing companies, reclaimed wood users) provides a comprehensive overview of perspectives and activities in the circular economy (CE) domain. Promoting inter-departmental collaboration and the CE are strategic goals of BFH. The development of circular building products and the implementation of circular business models align with parliamentary initiative 20.433 "Strengthening Swiss Circular Economy."
