A small carbon footprint for the wood-structured zero-energy building called Luukku
The Luukku building constructed by the Aalto University's student team is nearly ready for dispatch to Spain. The building will take part in the Solar Decathlon 2010 competition, which is due to be held in June in Madrid. The frame of the wood-structured building is constructed of airtight Finnforest Kerto panels. A total of 75% of the construction materials used for the building are renewable. Calculations show that the amount of carbon dioxide bound in the construction materials is 11,000 kilograms higher than the amount of fossil carbon dioxide emissions produced during the production of the materials and the use of the building. “The Luukku building is among the first buildings in Finland to receive one joint carbon footprint value through calculations,” states the head of the project, Pekka Heikkinen, Professor of Wood Construction in the Department of Architecture at the Aalto University School of Science and Technology. “The abundant use of wood has a favourable impact on the building's carbon balance. The total carbon footprint of the building will be nearly 15,000 kilograms. Wood materials only account for about one third of the building's total carbon footprint but two thirds of the building's total weight.” In addition to the frame, the building has many other innovative solutions to improve its energy efficiency, such as the energy-saving building shell and moisture barriers. “The building's insulation element contains moisture sensors embedded at three different depths to measure structural dampness,” explains Heikkinen. According to Aalto University's specifications, its strengths in the competition are the use of renewable building materials, the capability to meet challenges set by the Finnish/Nordic climate and the user-friendliness of the building maintenance technology. The energy needed by the building will be provided by solar panels. They will generate the required electricity and the energy used in the heating and cooling of the building. The building will begin to produce more energy than it needs in summer when it is in its proper place in Spain. In other words, the zero energy building will become a plus energy building. The Luukku building will be ready by the end of May. After that, it will be disassembled and packed to withstand road transportation to Spain. After the competition is finished at the end of June, the building will be transported back to Finland and subjected to studies at Otaniemi, Espoo, through the winter. Visitors may familiarise themselves with the building in Finland at the Mäntyharju Holiday Home Fair scheduled for the summer of 2011. Metsäliitto's photo gallery: http://databank.metsaliitto.com/metsaliitto/finnforest.jsp?x=6061771&i=711122491 4625535941741731542321251561979378 Kerto product pages: http://www.finnforest.fi/tuotteet/kerto/Pages/Default.aspx Competition pages for the Luukku building: http://www.sdfinland.com/Welcome.htm For further information: Professor Pekka Heikkinen, Aalto University, tel. +358 (0)50 517 4727, email: pekka.heikkinen@tkk.fi R&D Manager Jouni Hakkarainen, tel. +358 (0)50 598 9611, email: jouni.hakkarainen@finnforest.com Metsäliitto Wood Products Industry (Finnforest) is a leading supplier of eco-efficient wood-based solutions. Its building and furnishing products are energy-efficient throughout their entire life cycle and enhance the built environment and the quality of living. The products and supply chain are continuously developed in close cooperation with the construction industry, other industrial customers, and the retail sector.