InnoRenew CoE researchers recently prepared and installed an experiment design of playhouse structure in front of the institute’s building in Izola, Slovenia. With this experiment they aim to study the service life performance of design details of wooden structures exposed to external climatic conditions.

Four identical playhouse wooden structures will be exposed to varying climatic conditions across Europe including Izola in Slovenia, Göttingen in Germany, Lund in Sweden, and Vienna in Austria.

These playhouse structures are intentionally designed with flaws to create high moisture traps and decay risks. The intension is to mimic real-life wood construction design flaws.

The setup aims to study the impact of varying climatic conditions on the deterioration and longevity of wood-based structures. Each structure will have different sensors installed on them and the structure will undergo regular monitoring to collect data on the progression of moisture-related damage and decay. Additionally, this experiment will serve as a real-world application to test and refine a Building Information Modelling (BIM) Plugin developed during the project. The plugin is intended to enhance the prediction and analysis of the service life performance of wood exposed to external climatic conditions.

The comparative analysis across diverse climates will provide invaluable insights into sustainable building practices and the life cycle costing of wood-based products, aligning with the broader objectives of the WoodLCC project.

This playhouse experiment is developed in the framework of the Enhanced Life-Cycle-Costing in wood construction by novel methods for service life planning (WoodLCC) project and PhD studies of Richard Acquah, under supervision of assoc. prof. dr. Anna Sandak and assoc. prof. dr. Jakub Sandak.

Photos: Richard Acquah