Active Projects

Objective: The majority of timber in Europe is graded in bending. The use of timber in applications subjected to tension loads is becoming more important, for example in glulam applications. In the absence of tension strength grades, it is possible to estimate tension strength values for softwoods in Europe from bending strength grades using the equation in the European standard EN 384. This project will investigate the relationship between the bending and tension properties of Irish-grown spruce. Boards of two nominal cross-sections will be sampled from Irish sawmills and paired to create groups of similar quality, so that one board can be tested in tension and the other in bending. The results will propose a new equation for presentation to CEN/TC124/WG2 with the aim of revising the current equation in EN 384.

Objective: This project will create a new national database of lifecycle data for harvested wood products, addressing a current lack of data necessary for a comprehensive life cycle assessment of Irish timber use in the built environment. Rigorous quantification of the environmental, economic and social impacts of locally sourced Irish timber products will support informed decisions by building designers, contractors, planners, developers and policy-makers.

Objective: The primary objectives of the Opps4GPP project are to identify and examine opportunities for green public procurement in Ireland, quantify the associated costs and benefits, and disseminate findings to relevant public bodies and key stakeholders. The project focuses primarily on green public procurement in relation to public building projects.

Objective: The MODCONS project will design, develop and test a sustainable modular timber building solution to support national needs while also creating export opportunities. The proposed modular building solution will maximise the use of Irish timber in cross-laminated panels for walls and floors and will be optimised for structural integrity, fire, acoustics and vibration. The design also considers future deconstruction and reuse.

Objective: Wood Properties for Ireland (WoodProps) is a joint project between the Timber Engineering Research Group at NUI Galway and the Centre for Wood Science and Technology, Edinburgh Napier University. It addresses issues related to the characterisation of Irish-grown timber and associated work at national and European level in standardisation for structural timber quality and production, with a particular focus on grading.

The project supports knowledge exchange related to wood quality, products and standards with forestry and processing industries, and provides expert advice to regulatory bodies related to the construction of modern timber buildings.

Objective: The research consortium will cooperate to demonstrate new adhesive-free engineered wood products using new technology, encouraging and enabling market uptake across North West Europe. The adhesive-free products will be reusable and recyclable, and the new technology based on densified wood dowels will contribute to sustainable forest management and connected rural livelihoods by adding value to locally available low-quality timber.

Objective: BenchValue addresses the limited availability of comprehensive sustainability assessments for renewable raw material value chains. The project will expand the Tool for Sustainability Impact Assessment with a method for benchmarking wood material value chains against mineral and non-renewable value chains. A gap analysis will identify discrepancies in sustainability assessment methods and frameworks, and the benchmarking method will be tested in five case studies.

Objective: To develop a method of prestressing timber glulam beams manufactured from Irish Sitka spruce and demonstrate the enhanced stiffness and strength of such beams.