The Splinters of Mass Timber: Circular Multi-Storey Contemporary Timber Architecture in Europe
Promotor: Mario Rinke
Funder: BOF Faculty of Design Sciences
Timber architecture is on the rise. Structural wood is promoted as circular and ecological, but contemporary timber buildings rarely incorporate adaptable or reversible design. A merely technical discourse leaves out the spatial-architectural and organisational-functional aspects. This raises questions about the current discourse for circular structural timber buildings in Europe.
The research transcends the material scale to unravel the possibilities for circularity for structural timber on the component and building level. Current approaches of circularity in timber construction are critically examined for their relevance and effectivity within the larger theoretical framework of adaptability in architecture. Precise demands for zones of changeability and permanence within the building are predicted and timber components and structural systems can be applied accordingly.
The research project investigates the drivers for timber construction within the contemporary circularity debate. By focussing on the emerging and innovative practice of multistorey timber in Europe, the project uncovers enablers for amplifying networks of agents for change in circularity.The aim of the research is to devise and evaluate a spatial framework for circular multistorey timber architecture in Europe, and in a broader sense, generate a better understanding of circular structure design.
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