Designs for a Cooler Planet
Discover tomorrow at Aalto University's biggest exhibition! Open 1 September – 30 October 2026.
A home warmed by nature slows climate change
New heat-insulating materials that store carbon are being developed from agricultural and forestry side streams.
Although Europe’s biggest housing construction boom has passed, building renovations are expected to increase rapidly — and most include upgrading insulation. Today, insulation is usually made from plastics or mineral wool, both of which burden the environment.
Researchers at Aalto University are developing alternatives made from plant biomass that has absorbed carbon dioxide while growing. During a building’s lifetime, these materials can therefore act as carbon stores.
‘This helps combat climate change by buying us more time to develop long-term solutions, such as carbon capture technologies. Wood-based insulation products already on the market should be preferred while new side-stream-based alternatives are developed,” says Assistant Professor Magda Posani.
Find this and dozens of other fresh perspectives, bold experiments and practical solutions in the autumn exhibition.
