Building technology is a broad subject, covering many phases of the building process and preparing students for professional roles in the whole construction sector, from structural design to building production.
The education programme has the focus on sustainable building engineering, which includes structural aspects, material selection and energy-efficient buildings. Designing a sustainable building requires skills in calculating loading-bearing capacity of structural components associated with proper building materials and the energy consumption considerations. Also, knowledge of ventilation and heating systems and the environmental impacts of different forms of energy in the building.
Our research activities are focused mainly on two research lines, which are wood-based materials and environmentally- friendly concrete.
Research focus on wood-based materials aims to increase the volume of wood fibre-based materials used in durable products in society in the long term. The research area is driven by two main goals: to reduce the environmental impact of the construction sector by replacing more environmentally harmful materials with wood, and to store carbon in buildings by extending the life of wood.
The research is often carried out in close collaboration with various actors in the surrounding society. This includes collaboration with the Pro2BE research group, other universities in Sweden and internationally with specialist expertise, as well as industry and public actors, to ensure the relevance of the research conducted. The research work combines advanced experimental studies with computer simulations, where parametric finite element models are used to simulate the behavior of wood under different conditions. The mechanical properties of wood are complex and are affected by its hierarchical microstructure as well as external factors such as moisture. A deeper understanding of these properties is necessary to optimize the use of wood in products and constructions.
Below are examples of research projects in this area:
High-performance sills made from cross-laminated timber: The project aims to reduce construction waste by developing high-performance sills made from residual materials from the production of cross-laminated timber.
Computational Models for Prefabricated Modules in Multi-storey Buildings: Development of precise computational models for analyzing loads on wooden structures in multi-storey buildings.
Wood fibre-based products in load-bearing structures: Research focusing on the use of residual materials from the wood handling chain in long-lived products, such as recycled fibre-based wall studs, where moisture sensitivity is a central challenge.
Non-destructive test methods (NDT): Development of dynamic methods to characterize wood-based materials and components, with the goal of improving and validating computational models and assessing the quality of reused wood.
Research activities on environmentally friendly concrete focuses on the development of new, environmentally friendly concrete recipes. We are working to develop innovative solutions to reduce the environmental impact of concrete by integrating sustainable and recycled materials. The goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and at the same time improve the technical properties of concrete. The research is carried out in collaboration with international universities, which provides a broad perspective and access to global expertise.
With a strong focus on both wood-based materials and environmentally friendly concrete, we strive to meet the increased demands for environmental and economic sustainability in the construction sector. The results from these research projects and other related areas are published on an ongoing basis in scientific journals and at international conferences (cf. publications). New research findings are also communicated in popular science journals and at seminars.
