Fig. 1: Opportunities for use of ELMs in architecture (Sandak, 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSignificant progress was made in advancing new processes and product quality control procedures (Sandak et al<\/em>, 2019). This activity allowed an understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of modified biomaterials. Different multivariate process control tools were adopted for state-of-the-art wood modification processes, allowing real-time and in-line monitoring of processes.<\/p>\nAnother ongoing research line is biochar as an additive to composite materials. Biochar (activated carbon) is currently used for the purification of water, soil amendments, etc., but it can also be used for cleaning indoor air and enhancing bonding in composites. Research projects are investigating the manufacture of biochar (Zouari et al<\/em>, 2023) from agriculture residues for use in adhesive systems, VOC absorbing coatings for indoor environments, and as an additive to concrete to improve adhesion with natural fibre reinforcements (Fig. 2). Biochar was also used as an additive to improve adhesion between wood particles in polylactic acid (PLA) blends to be used in food packaging (Zouari et al<\/em>, 2023, Zouari et al.<\/em> 2022, Esakkumuthu et al<\/em>, 2022). As this is a bio-based and biodegradable material, it is of great value in a new era of bio-based and biodegradable products.<\/p>\nFig. 2: Overview of the process of converting some agricultural residues to functional biochar for use in coatings and other applications (Zouari et al., 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWood supply chain optimisation has been active over the past years, but there were only minimal results in optimising processes in the waste wood supply chain. We focused on locating the accumulation centres in the supply network in such a way as to minimise the costs of transporting waste wood from accumulation centres to processing facilities (Egri et al<\/em>, 2020). Besides transportation, we also studied economies of scale (Egri et al<\/em>, 2023) as well as the robustness of the network, in case of \u2018the breakdown of facilities\u2019 (non-operating accumulation centres). In co-operation with our research partners, we have produced efficient mathematical optimisation models with nature-based solutions.<\/p>\nInnoRenew was also responsible for the development of a macro-level optimisation model in Slovenia that allows for the multi-objective optimisation of wood volumes for processing across the entire forestry, wood and paper sector for long-term policy co-ordinated with the broadest range of stakeholders (Schau et al<\/em>, 2023). This innovative approach can elevate industrial optimisation models for macro-level policymaking. The model is based on development needs, the businesses and investment plans of different stakeholders, and a holistic assessment of different scenarios for developing logging, processing, and utilisation of wood in Slovenia.<\/p>\nFig. 3: Output of a robust waste wood collection network in Austria (Egri et al., 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA new alliance for new regenerative sustainability research<\/h3>\n InnoRenew CoE, together with the University of Primorska, Oregon State University, and the University of Helsinki, have established a research alliance for sharing information on mass timber building performance. In the frame of this co-operation, we are monitoring data from three mass-timber projects in three different climate zones. One of the alliance\u2019s goals is to develop a unified framework for data collection, sharing, and analytics by implementing pilots using these mass timber projects (Riggio et al<\/em>., 2023). The main difficulties of data integration are due to differences in data collection methods, equipment, and techniques, as well as variations in the number and types of monitored locations and measurement periods. A data integration framework based on \u2018avatars\u2019 (decentralised computing agents) has been suggested by InnoRenew researchers (Riggio et al<\/em>., 2022), and it was compared to state-of-the-art structural health monitoring (SHM) solutions.<\/p>\nAs we spend most of our time indoors, indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring is essential to ensure healthy living. It also contributes greatly to improving building performance and reducing energy consumption. Current IAQ monitoring systems are generally based on WSNs and organised centrally with cloud data management infrastructure. These solutions have serious limitations in data privacy and security. Decentralised approaches such as edge computing offer a good alternative, but distributed computing still faces privacy issues \u2014 to name just one: the data collected requires basic security protection as it describes physical phenomena that can reveal activities in the monitored space. For example, changes in CO2<\/sub>\u00a0and temperature can indicate human presence in a room. The privacy-aware and secure decentralised IAQ monitoring system developed by InnoRenew researchers with project partners (Mrissa et al<\/em>., 2022) provides an advance beyond the state-of-the-art that uses the data while providing security and privacy for those in the monitored building.<\/p>\nThrough other studies, we have investigated the complex interplay between indoor environments and human well-being, focusing on the important role that material selection and ergonomic settings play in fostering human well-being. One of the crucial outcomes that emerged from our research was that using wood in offices shows promise for reducing stress and improving stress recovery in occupants. One of the studies, which examined stress responses in office settings, has yielded important insights about designing spaces for wellbeing. By comparing offices treated with oak and walnut wood with control settings, we have shown that the presence of wood can lower people\u2019s stress levels, thereby presenting architects and designers with an option to design environments that can support the well-being of building occupants. This was one of the first robust studies that showed wood can be a promising addition to indoor spaces to improve people\u2019s well-being (Burnard and Kutnar, 2020).<\/p>\n
References:<\/h4>\n Sandak, A, (2023). Engineered living materials for sustainable and resilient architecture. Nature Reviews Materials<\/em>, 8, 357\u2013359.<\/p>\nSandak, J, Orlowski, K A, Sandak, A, Chuchala, D, & Taube, P, (2019a). In-Line Measurement of Wood Surface Roughness. Drvna Indistrija<\/em> 71(2): 193-200.<\/p>\nZouari, M, Mikuljan, M, & Schwarzkopf, M, (2023). Impact of biochar on the fungal decay resistance of hemp-polylactic acid composites against wood basidiomycetes. Frontiers in Materials<\/em>, 10, 1129303.<\/p>\nZouari, M, Devallance, D B, & Marrot, L, (2022). Effect of biochar addition on mechanical properties, thermal stability, and water resistance of hemp-polylactic acid (PLA) composites. Materials<\/em>, 15(6), 2271.<\/p>\nEsakkimuthu, E S, DeVallance, D, Pylypchuk, I, Moreno, A, & Sipponen, M H, (2022). Multifunctional lignin-poly (lactic acid) biocomposites for packaging applications. Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology<\/em>, 10, 1025076.<\/p>\nEgri, P, D\u00e1vid, B, Kis, T, & Kr\u00e9sz, M, (2023). Robust facility location in reverse logistics. Annals of Operations Research<\/em>, 324(1-2), 163-188.<\/p>\nEgri, P, D\u00e1vid, B, Kis, T, Kr\u00e9sz, M, (2020). Robust Reverse Logistics Network Design. In: Golinska-Dawson, P, (eds) Logistics Operations and Management for Recycling and Reuse. EcoProduction. Springer<\/em>, Berlin, Heidelberg.<\/p>\nSchau, E M, Gavri\u0107, I, \u0160u\u0161ter\u0161i\u010d, I, Prelov\u0161ek Niemel\u00e4, E, D\u00e1vid, B, Pe\u010dnik, J G, … & Tavzes, \u010c. (2023). Modelling the Slovenian Wood Industry\u2019s Response to the Greenhouse Gas Paris Agreement and the EU \u201cFit for 55\u201d Green Transition Plan. Sustainability<\/em>, 15(10), 8376.<\/p>\nRiggio, M, Mrissa, M, Kr\u00e9sz, M, V\u010del\u00e1k, J, Sandak, J, & Sandak, A, (2022). Leveraging structural health monitoring data through avatars to extend the service life of mass timber buildings. Frontiers in Built Environment<\/em>, 8, 887593.<\/p>\nRiggio, M, Vcelak, J, Kaitaniemi, P, Barbosa, A R, Hrovatin, N, Sandak, A, … & Alakukku10, L (2023). Federated use of hygrothermal monitoring data in mass timber buildings: opportunities and challenges. In World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2023) (pp. 3896-3904).<\/p>\n
Mrissa, M, To\u0161i\u0107, A, Hrovatin, N, Aslam, S, D\u00e1vid, B, Hajdu, L, … & Kav\u0161ek, B, (2022). Privacy-aware and secure decentralised air quality monitoring. Applied sciences<\/em>, 12(4), 2147.<\/p>\nBurnard, M D, & Kutnar, A (2020). Human stress responses in office-like environments with wood furniture. Building Research & Information<\/em>, 48(3), 316-330.<\/p>\nPlease note, this article will also appear in the sixteenth edition of our\u00a0quarterly publication<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"InnoRenew CoE is boosting state of the art nature-based solutions to accelerate the adoption of regenerative sustainability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":39869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24433],"tags":[24605,529,24229,24527],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Interdisciplinary science of the built environment to advance regenerative sustainability<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n