Faculty of Built Environment

Preliminary report on natural construction products and their usage potential

Natural construction products consist of raw materials from agriculture, forestry and earthworks and can be produced without high temperatures. The production and use of these low-carbon products have become more commonly place rapidly in Central Europe, which is why information on them was desired for the purposes of the Finnish construction material industry.

The main tasks of the Nature CO2 project (1 May–31 December 2022) are to identify the construction products in question, calculate and compare carbon balances, and determine the usage potential of the products. A simultaneous aim is to explore the research and development needs of the products and structure and to outline the lower limit for a low carbon level in construction. In connection to the project, a workshop was organised at Tampere University on 29 November 2022 along with an exhibition of natural construction products, which is still available for viewing in a mobile display case.

The ECOSAFE projects shed light on the use of cutter shavings as an insulant

The ECOSAFE project studies the thermal and moisture-related behaviour of sawdust insulated structural solutions by means of calculations and tests, and determines the preconditions for using them to produce moisture-safe structures in current and future climate conditions without the need to add an anti-mould agent in the thermal insulation or use a vapour barrier plastic sheet in the structure. Even though the material is already familiar, there is fairly little research data on it, which is why using it for current construction projects is a challenge. The research will produce recommendations and methods for implementing moisture-safe sawdust-insulated structural solutions.

The ECOSAFE 2 project examines the favourable effect of clay on the efficacy of the cutter shaving insulation, as revealed by the ECOSAFE project. The study supplements the ECOSAFE research and expands it to cover acoustics, fire protection and microbiology. The recommended structural solutions of the ECOSAFE project will be changed and supplemented as needed based on the research conducted. The projects will be active from 2019 to 2023.

Promoting construction-related circular economy through networks

The RATKI project seeks to identify circular economy operators in construction and empower existing construction networks to promote the transition to a circular economy. The current state and development obstacles of construction related circular economy are analysed by interviewing representatives of municipalities and companies.

The project organises regional networking workshops for companies, non-governmental organisations and authorities, and monitors a number of infrastructure and home construction projects, recording and sharing good practices that promote circular economy especially in the Pirkanmaa region. At the same time, the project is used to raise awareness of the services provided by the university community and strengthen cooperation within it. The project was initiated in October 2021 and will continue until the end of August 2023.

INPERSO: the INdustrialised and PErsonalised Renovation for Sustainable sOcieties project works towards sustainable societies

The multidisciplinary research project INPERSO (2022–2026) explores the opportunities of industrialising the renovations of energy efficient buildings. The INPERSO project will deliver inclusive, affordable, efficient and sustainable renovation methods that can be adapted to various climates and building typologies. The project is primarily focused on residential buildings and heritage buildings. As a holistic deep renovation programme, INPERSO will address the building’s entire life cycle, from project design to the end-of-life, tackling the challenges of digitalisation, fragmentation, quality, efficiency and rapidity, while following a human-centric approach.

The social and cultural history of home heating

The JUSTHEAT research project studies the social and cultural history of home heating. The multidisciplinary project focuses on a fair and sustainable transition in reducing the carbon footprint of home heating, as well as any related obstacles and solutions in the EU area. The project aims to understand how major changes to home heating and heating technology over the last 70 years have been designed, managed and experienced, how they have impacted our lives and what lessons we might learn for the current transition to low carbon systems. The study will be conducted by means of interviews in Finland, the UK, Sweden and Romania.

The Housing in Change project explores residential environments that meet people’s needs

Housing in Change is a two-year research project (2020-2022) funded by the Western Finland Public Benefit Housing Foundation and YH Kodit housing company.

There are major social, demographic and environmental changes underway that will have a significant impact on the needs that our living environment must meet. For example, urbanisation, climate change, changes in family structure and working life, teleworking and population ageing are affecting the use of living spaces, facilities and services.

All of these factors create new tensions between housing-related privacy and community solutions. The Housing in Change project examines how the living environment can holistically respond to residents’ needs amidst changing situations at the neighbourhood and individual dwelling scale.

The Rescue project improves society’s ability to cope with crises

Real Estate and Sustainable Crisis Management in Urban Environments (Rescue) is a multidisciplinary research project that is funded by the Academy of Finland and runs from 2020 to 2023. The project promotes the dynamic resilience and crisis preparedness of societies by examining the role of real estate in responding to predictable and unexpected crises both nationally and internationally.

The project, conducted by Aalto University in collaboration with Tampere University and the University of Turku, seeks to improve our understanding of how facilities, buildings and land use should be designed, used and managed to help various stakeholders respond to different types of crises, such as a pandemic, climate change, terrorism, fires and floods.

Engaging the elderly residents of cities in the sustainable transition

Architectural researchers of Tampere University’s Faculty of Built Environment are involved in the GreenerAge: Climate-Change and Environmental Literacy for Urban Citizens 55+ consortium study which supports the environmental literacy and changing behaviour of city residents aged 55 and over, with the simultaneous aim of strengthening their digital skills and competence development by means of a gamified, playful and literacy-developing tool. The game platform teaches older adults to reduce their carbon footprint, make more sustainable food and mobility choices, reduce their energy consumption and produce less waste, for example.

European universities support the transition to a carbon neutral society through sustainable architecture

Tampere University participates in ARCH4CHANGE, a collaborative undertaking between a number of European universities and associations that is funded under the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. The project seeks to co-create an architectural ‘climate emergency’ curriculum that supports the transition to a carbon neutral society.

Closing the knowledge gap through international knowledge exchange

The ARCH4FUTURE project supports the transition to a carbon-neutral society by creating opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and expertise between Finland and China. The goal is to diversify access to information and tools through a digital platform. In addition, the project seeks solutions for addressing skills gaps between students and teachers in the two countries.

International project supports cities in the implementation of sustainable construction practices

Circular Construction in Regenerative Cities (CIRCuIT) is a collaborative project seeking to develop and test innovative solutions for implementing a closed-loop system in urban environments so that today’s products become tomorrow’s raw materials. The project participants take a holistic look at the value chain of construction, which includes urban designers, property owners and developers, architects, construction companies and demolition companies.

The project has received funding under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and involves 31 partners located in Copenhagen, Hamburg, Helsinki and Greater London.

Researchers develop resource-wise housing concepts

The project titled Low Impact, Low Energy Housing and Neighbourhoods in the Häme Region was launched to co-create tools and ideas for developing appealing housing concepts and environments for the municipalities located in the Häme region, Finland, which can then utilise the tools in their strategic development.

The project and the housing concepts place a special emphasis on sustainable development, resource-efficiency, carbon neutrality, energy efficiency and social sustainability with the aim of promoting holistic regional development and the success of small municipalities in Finland, both now and in the future.

Sustainable building maintenance and monitoring with DIGI4GREEN

The research project funded by the Academy of Finland will be conducted in cooperation between Tampere University and the Chinese Southeast University. The project involves studying the smart monitoring of sustainable buildings as well as digital measures and maintenance with the ultimate aim of reaching a carbon-neutral society.

Architectural conservation and circular economy through barn architecture

University instructor Iida Kalakoski’s article on architectural conservation is a part of her dissertation that will be completed in spring. The article examines how architectural conservation and circular economy relate to ecological and cultural sustainability within the framework of “barn architecture.” For the article, Kalakoski interviewed two Swedish architects and studied many case examples. She built the theory and analysis of the study on a wide and diverse range of research literature.

Research Centre Terra’s education and research promote sustainable design and construction

Research Centre Terra promotes the construction of functional, safe and sustainable living environments through the means of high-quality research and education. Terra promotes sustainable infrastructures that are sustainable throughout their life cycles in close cooperation with operators in the field through thesis work and research projects. Terra is also involved in the preparation of national instructions. Research Centre Terra studies the use and functionality of new and alternative materials in structures, develops dimensioning and repair methods for structures, and promotes the principles of circular economy, digital operating methods and sustainable development in the management and procurement of infrastructure property.

The life-cycle efficient design and construction of ground structures and an understanding of the affecting factors are a natural part of all courses provided by Terra. Infrastructure construction involves moving large masses and the service lives of the structures are long, which is why the choices made have a significant impact on sustainability. The use of recycled materials in infrastructure construction is particularly covered on the courses on circular economy in infrastructure construction, earthworks technology and geoenvironmental technology.

CADWES water services research team: science and education to promote water services

The Capacity Development of Water and Environmental Services (CADWES) research team was established for the Tampere University of Technology in 1998. Its mission is to use high-quality multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research as a basis for producing knowledge and education on the institutional evolution and development of sustainable use of water services and water resources in a wider institutional context. The team focuses its research on organisations, governance, management, economics, legislation, policy, rules and practices.

UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Water Services

The UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Water Services, which was established at the Tampere University of Technology in 2012, is a new initiative in its field. The 27 water-related UNESCO Chairs are located all over the world. The Chair in Sustainable Water Services, which was established jointly by the Tampere University of Technology and UNESCO, focuses on water procurement and sanitation in relation to the water services of communities, whereas previous chairs have concentrated on water resources and their management from a variety of perspectives. Tampere University’s new Chair is the first of its kind in the water sector of the Nordic countries.

Smarter and more resilient communities

Tampere University’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow Raul Castano de la Rosa serves as a research field coordinator for the ‘SMART-ER Communities of practices – Resilient communities’ research project. Smart European Regions, i.e. SMART-ER is a research area of the ECIU University Research Institution, which joins the forces of 12 separate universities to study sustainable and resilient communities.

Quality assessment of house design

In 2022, Tampere University researchers were involved in assessing the design quality of the City of Helsinki’s HITAS-funded housing project.

Panel discussion on architectural heritage and circular economy

University instructor Iida Kalakoski and part-time instructor Riina Sirén organised panel discussions on 18 December 2021 and 4 February 2022 as part of the activities of Rakennusperintö-SAFA. The participants in the first panel discussion were Anne Uosukainen (Pirkanmaa Provincial Museum), Petri Salmi (Spolia Design Oy), Robin Landsdorff (Finnish Heritage Agency) and Juha Päätalo (EkoSAFA). The second panel discussion featured Anni Vartolainen and Panu Savolainen (Aalto University), Henna Partanen (Green League) and Pekka Saatsi (Saatsi Arkkitehdit Oy). The panels involved discussion about architectural heritage and circular economy. Both panel discussions can still be viewed on SAFA’s YouTube channel.

Watch the panel discussions (in Finnish).

Sustainable design guide for student architects

Professor of Architecture Sofie Pelsmakers is one of the authors of the book ‘Designing for the Climate Emergency: A Guide for Architecture Students’ which steers students towards sustainable design and construction that takes global warming into account.

The course on circular economy in property development and home construction increases awareness of the link between circular economy and construction

The Faculty of Built Environment offers a course on circular economy in property development and home construction (Kiertotalous kiinteistökehittämisessä ja talonrakentamisessa), which teaches students to understand the life cycle of construction and the environmental impacts of construction. About 50–70 students take the course each year.

Early architectural design course creates a place for quiet relaxation in the woods in Hervanta

The first-year students of Architecture were tasked with a practice assignment of designing a place for quiet relaxation, i.e. a 50-m² light structure, in a delicate forest environment by Lake Hervantajärvi in Viitastenperä.

The design process was kicked off by visiting the site, which is located about a 2.5-km walk from the final tram stop. The site visit involved an exercise in which the students had to delineate an area of about one m² to make observations related to what grown in the patch of land and what is happening underground or in the treetops. The aim was to increase awareness about the fact that building something new always means that something else is lost.

The air of the location was strongly present in the eventual design submissions, and the scale models in particular were very detailed in life-like. Many of the students decided to base the design process on a respectful approach to the natural environment by dividing the building mass into smaller sections or adapting it to the terrain.