Innovation for Impact #8: Rebuilding the future with wood and clay

Research is progressive. Even when it takes us back to the roots.

We cannot afford to look away from the way in which greenhouse gas emissions are currently impacting our environment. The construction sector in Switzerland, for example, is responsible for approximately a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions – whereby our choice of building materials impacts this number significantly.

The net zero economy needs alternatives to status-quo materials.

At Empa we are currently focusing on the large-scale use of timber 🪵 and clay 🧱 to contribute to the construction of climate-neutral buildings.

The advantage of their combination: Timber provides the necessary load-carrying capacity and stiffness, while clay adds additional load-carrying capacity and mass, which contributes to heat regulation, vibration damping and fire safety.

Innosuisse flagship "Think Earth – Regenerative Building"

This initiative running from 2023-2028 and funded by Innosuisse involves Empa in collaboration with ETH Zürich , Berner Fachhochschule BFH , Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts , OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and 51 industrial partners.

The goal: By 2029, to develop efficient and scalable construction methods for climate-neutral buildings by leveraging renewable materials and innovative practices to create environmentally responsible buildings.

Timber: Demountable connections

Goal: Promote circularity through demountable timber connections and digital tools

Timber connections ensure continuity and improve the structural behavior through various properties, such as the ability to deform and dissipate energy, that timber components in construction cannot offer themselves. Pedro Palma (Structural Engineering Laboratory) is working with researchers from ETH Zürich , Berner Fachhochschule BFH and 13 industrial partners on the disassembly and reuse of timber connections. At the same time, they are developing digital tools to support this process, thus strengthening circular economy.

Clay: Preventing shrinkage

Goal: Produce crack-free clay-based building materials through green chemistry

As clay dries, it shrinks and cracks. To avoid this in large-scale usage, additives are necessary. As a result, the energy balance and recyclability deteriorate. To reduce shrinkage while maintaining recyclability and water absorption, researchers around Pietro Lura (Concrete and Asphalt Laboratory) together with researchers from ETH Zürich and industrial partners BASF Schweiz AG and Eberhard Bau AG are working on the development of bio-based and biodegradable additives.