On Wednesday, 12 February 2020, InnoRenew CoE, together with the Municipality of Izola; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food; Ministry of Education, Science and Sport; Slovenia Forest Service and public company Komunala Izola, signed a letter of intent committing to the principles of sustainable development and sustainable management of natural resources.

A new chapter has begun for the institute and Slovenian wood science with construction of the InnoRenew CoE complex. The building, which will be the largest wooden building in Slovenia, is a research project itself where researchers will model solutions in real-time and experiment with innovative materials and products in real-world conditions.

A press conference was organized to celebrate the letter of intent signing ceremony during which Dr Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE director, emphasized that the building exemplifies a modern, high-tech object that is low-carbon and designed in the spirit of circular economy.

Press conference – Zlatko Ficko, director of Slovenia Forest Service, dr. Aleksandra Pivec, minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Danilo Markočič, major of Municipality of Izola, izr. prof. dr. Andreja Kutnar, director of InnoRenew CoE, dr. Jernej Pikalo, minister of Education, Science and Sport, Denis Bele, director of Komunala Izola and Martina Miklavčič Šumanski, Municipality of Izola. Image: Alen Ježovnik

“We are aware that for construction we will use a lot of wood, precisely 870 cubic meters, but we are also aware that in sustainably managed forests, such as Slovenian forests, in one year enough trees will grow so that we could build almost 3000 such building,” said Dr Kutnar.

The amount of wood that will be used for construction will be transformed into the new building and then reused for a long time after the building’s end of life. Carbon dioxide stored in this wood (900 tons of CO₂) will be “sealed” in the structure and not in the atmosphere where it can cause problems, such as global warming.

An important step towards circular economy and carbon dioxide storage was made today. In Izola’s Livade district, 12 oak seedlings were planted. In total, there will be 3,000 oak trees planted in different areas of Izola, which will grow 1450 cubic meters of wood in 200 years, storing 2647 tons of carbon dioxide. Thus, the carbon imprint of the InnoRenew CoE building will be negative, and it will be possible for future generations to use its material.

Image: Alen Ježovnik

Afforestation plays an important role in mitigating the climate challenges we face today and contributes significantly to the sustainable development of our society. Therefore, InnoRenew CoE is happy to cooperate with the Municipality of Izola and other partners in this effort and mark the institute’s third anniversary with this event.