WP3 - Technical solutions
The aim of the WP3 is to assist companies to overcome barriers regarding leadership and employee know-how on latest technical solutions.
Best practice and study visits
One interesting CE technology is based on methods that allow disassembling a building after its original use. The need for provisional buildings (schools, municipal halls) is growing all the time, as the centralising tendency is transforming regions. Moreover, material flows in wood product industry are so ample that energy recovery is not the best way to circulate material. Instead of down cycling there are potentials for much more CE friendly value creation in longer recycling. Other possible CE friendly technologies for wood building industry are BIM (Building Information Modelling) and fast developing 3D printing. All CE technologies and models introduced in the project will be selected considering their environmental impacts.
The power of example and trailblazing is great in changing prevailing practices. An important destination for a study visit is the City of Pudasjärvi and its new public buildings constructed by latest log building technology. The school center is interesting from the standpoint of CE as it applies one of its main principles: Building as a Service. The constructing company will maintain the building during the next 30 years. Another possible target for a study visit is the city of Venlo in Netherlands, which is a forerunner community in circular economy, as they started to promote CE business models strategically years ago. Venlo’s new city hall comply with CE principles. A new municipal hall has been built also in Brummen, Netherlands. It is a design made for disassembly, consistent use of reusable and renewable materials, and a contract that guarantees circularity at the end of the intended period of use.
Market analysis and supply chain development
Before CE could be fully realised in some industrial branch, the whole production chain should apply its practices. In this project, we will focus on such parts of the industry that have noteworthy SME-players in the Botnia-Atlantica region, both in Sweden and in Finland. In South Ostrobothnia, for example, such players include construction and development companies, as well as wood product companies that have specialised in wood building. All interested companies within the trade have equal opportunities to be engaged in the project.
Networking and workshops
New technical solutions and business models of a circular economy are interdependent of each other. Therefore, these need to be introduced and discussed together with target companies. The innovative potential of the companies will be stimulated by European and regional lecturers like, for example, Professor Katja Lähtinen, expert on wood building business from the University of Vaasa. Milestone 1 will produce an extensive material that will be selected and prepared for the workshops. The profiles and interests of the target companies form the guideline in preparing the material and choosing the lecturers.
Gender equality
Gender equality will be considered when inviting both lecturers and participating companies. The same applies also to the recruiting of project personnel.
Communication of results
After the project, a practical package of all collected material will be used by companies and in Think-Tank discussions. In order to achieve the actual results, following intermediate results will be produced: report on collected technical and processual CE solutions, documentation and a report of the study visits, presentations and training material on technical solutions to be used in workshops, and documentation and analysis of the workshop discussions and results from technological and business standpoints.
Contact persons
Ari Hynynen, Tampere University of Technology, Finland ari.hynynen@tut.fi
Paula Pihjala, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland paula.pihjala@seamk.fi