Holistic design of taller timber buildings

A shift towards sustainable and renewable construction techniques is necessary as the world construction sector is responsible for one third of carbon dioxide emissions, as well as for forty percent of the world energy use and waste production. Structural wood, the champion of sustainable building materials, has evolved to a stage that allows the construction of not only family housing but also taller buildings that are usually built of concrete or steel. While different designers of concrete and steel buildings (architects, construction engineers, fire engineers, acoustic engineers, etc.) can work almost independently, the design of taller wooden buildings needs to be done with an intensive cooperation of members of the design team. Therefore, it is crucial to solve the problem of multi-storey wooden buildings from a common and interdisciplinary perspective, taking into account the static, dynamic, fire and acoustic aspects, human health and other aspects simultaneously and not separately. Only through interdisciplinary analysis and interaction can a set of holistic design guidelines be developed that will enable safe construction of taller wooden buildings, as well as the respect of requirements for human well-being. This Action aims to achieve this through intensive interdisciplinary work and interaction between different approaches and bases, as well as between the academic and design experts.