The many faces of wood
13.4.2011
Wood can be used, for example, to clad an unattractive old stone house. As a construction material, wood is energy efficient, and it can be used, for example, to make a hut that can withstand cold weather, termites and a hurricane.
Topical research projects in wood construction and wood research and teaching of related topics were presented in mid-March in a seminar organized by the university’s wood construction (PRA) cluster through several lectures.
Guided by the leading researchers in the field, the listeners learned about wood construction research at Aalto University or the most recent trends in energy-efficient wood architecture, wood construction aiming at low carbon dioxide emissions as well as renovation utilizing wood as a material.
There was also talk about building information modelling, exploring the secrets of a beautiful old wooden surface and competitiveness brought through sustainable development.
"It must be durable..."
The most topical of the teaching projects in wood construction, the Wood Program, or an international course in wood construction, presented its projects from the academic year 2010-2011.
Students in the Wooden Refugee Shelter project designed a new kind of easy-to-assemble transitional shelter for people displaced by natural disasters or conflicts. The units of the shelter are transportable by two people or a donkey.
The construction involves a number of different boundary conditions, but the engineering must be individual.
The construction materials must be available in Finland. In addition to wood, the materials used include plywood, the joints are designed as modules, storage space for the units must be a standard model and the whole structure must be easy to understand.
- In addition to modularity, we want to stress simplicity, logic and lightness. These have been our main principles for the project since its inception," explains researcher Olli Koski.
- Additionally, the whole package must be functional in both cold and hot climate
Durability tests were performed on the structure regarding its capacity to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. The capacity of the shelter to endure a hurricane was tested in the wind tunnel of the flow measurement laboratory at the Aalto University School of Engineering.
A shelter must also withstand termites, so appropriate surface and coating tests are necessary.
Cooperation is power
In the project, students from different fields and different environments work in cooperation with the researchers, which means that a lot of questions need to be posed in the process.
The fifteen students in the project represent nearly every corner of the globe: Spain, Macedonia, the United States, Serbia, Norway, Korea, France, Brazil, Australia – one Finnish student is also involved. In addition, ten engineers and architects are working on the project.
The results will be presented to the public in the World Village Festival in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki, in May, and later they will be exhibited in Fiskars.
A previous feat of strength by the PRA cluster, the zero energy building Luukku, was honoured with the 2010 Wood Award. The Wood Award was directed to the whole cross-disciplinary Luukku team, which consisted a total of 100 Aalto University students, researchers, teachers, professors and other staff members from eight different departments.
The PRA cluster has also been granted the international FTP Team Up Award 2009.
Text and photos: Eeva Pitkälä
More information on
Wooden Refugee Shelter project
Wood Construction, Department of Architecture
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering
Department of Forest Products Technology
