Precast concrete element manufacturer Consolis Parma, house builder Arkta Rakennus and Metsä Wood have launched a research project into hybrid construction in a bid to find more low carbon building options.
The aim is to develop a completely new kind of hybrid construction concept mainly for the needs of residential multi-storey construction.
Consolis Parma technology director, Juha Ramo, said the sustainable development of the construction industry focuses on energy and material efficiency, as well as low-carbon construction and the circular economy.
“Radically cutting the climate impact is a common concern for the entire construction industry. In line with our strategy, we have put climate issues at the centre of our development work, and our goal is to reduce our emissions by five per cent annually and halve them by 2035," Ramo said.
The aim of the cooperation between Parma, Arkta and Metsä is to create a material-efficient and low-emission hybrid construction concept. In this context, hybrid construction refers to combining the best features of wood and concrete both in a building frame and façade solutions to make the building low-carbon, energy-saving, long-lasting and cost-effective.
"In terms of the climate impacts of the built environment, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy means that the influence of the actual construction phase in the building's life cycle emissions will increase. As a result, structural solutions and the material choices in construction will play an increasingly crucial role in reducing the climate impact of the construction phase in the future,” Ramo said.
Metsa Wood director of business development, Jussi Björman, said hybrid construction enables increasing the share of renewable material in multi-storey construction without compromising building process efficiency or the performance of solutions.
“Metsä Wood's lightweight, material-efficient and carbon-storing Kerto LVL engineered wood product is well suited for hybrid construction applications. In cooperation with our partners, we have the best prerequisites for finding the most effective overall solutions,” he said.
Arkta Rakennus technical director, Marko Nikander, said by utilising their know how in concrete and wood they are ideally placed to develop a new hybrid construction system.
"We act as an expert of the construction site and installation process. We want to ensure the development of functional hybrid solutions using the best expertise of the project parties," Nikander said.
"The end goal of the research project is to produce cost-effective and easily replicable low-carbon hybrid element structures that create a brand new way of building around the world.”
The structural solutions to be developed as part of the research project will initially be tested in apartment buildings in Finland.