Tag: workshop

‘Eco-materials for low carbon construction’ workshop – presentations now available

ISOBIO workshop has just concluded at Acciona Construcción premises and the echo of its outcome conveys a story of successful collaboration and knowledge transfer among innovation project in the domain of eco-construction.

The event has showcased bio-based products and solutions for new buildings and retrofitting projects, currently under development in three EU funded projects, ECO-SEE, OSIRYS and ISOBIO. Experts from the projects shared their achievements and experience in bio-based panels and plasters for novel insulation, in panel and coating products, forest-based biocomposites for façades and interior partitions and on how bio-based products can be incorporated into low energy building design.

Download here the presentation held!

Save the date! Next ISOBIO stakeholder workshop, 21 November in Madrid

ISOBIO partners are pleased to announce that the 4th stakeholder workshop will take place on 21 November (afternoon), at the Acciona offices in Madrid (Alcobendas).

With the project now moving towards the demonstration phase, the workshop will be the perfect occasion to present the innovative bio-based solutions which industrial partners have been developing during the project. Other European projects will also show their own cutting edge eco-materials at the event.

The workshop will be of interest to professionals within the construction industry looking to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of sustainable construction materials.

More information, including the agenda and registration details will be available soon.

Bio-based materials facing the challenges of the construction industry

The use of bio-based materials is often met with scepticism from architects, insurers and contractors in the construction industry, which has led to slow market uptake. This scepticism generally results from a lack of adequate training and support with regard to regulatory frameworks.

This was the backdrop of the ISOBIO workshop, held 22 March in Brussels where the project team met with representatives from Earth Building UK and Ireland, BC architects & studies, the ECO-SEE project and the German Association for Building with Earth. The aim was to identify the levers for faster adoption of bio-based material in the construction sector.

The workshop was able to pinpoint new ways to improve professional knowledge, develop adequate curricula and set out a suitable legal framework. A further issue to be addressed going forward is how the general public perceive the emerging bio-based construction sector in comparison to the established construction sector.

Drawing on its early achievements, ISOBIO gave valuable insights into its testing and prototyping activities with a view to raising awareness and encouraging greater acceptance of bio-based materials. The project partners reiterated their common goal of designing a bio-based product which offers high insulation, low embodied energy and carbon, and hydrothermal efficiency for a greener building and construction industry.

A key finding from the workshop was that standard products (panels) made from enhanced bio-based properties could possibly be a leading driver of market uptake for bio-based materials in the industry.

The workshop report is available here.

To download the presentations, click here.  

29 March 2017

Skills and standards in the construction supply chain – ISOBIO Workshop

The experts of the ISOBIO project will hold a third stakeholder workshop, titled ‘‘Skills and standards in the construction supply chain’’’ on Wednesday, 22nd of March 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.

ISOBIO aims to develop new bio-based insulation panels and renders, and bring them into mainstream use to create more energy efficient buildings. The aim is to deliver products with at least a 50% reduction in embodied energy and CO2 emissions at component level, a 20% improvement in insulation properties, and a 30% reduction in life cycle costs.

The event will bring together industry and the researchers of the ISOBIO project, and will focus on the theme of skills and standards in the bio-based construction sector with the aim of identifying opportunities and challenges for the future, as well as sharing best practices. ISOBIO innovation partners will present the project’s approach, intermediate project results, and discuss the innovative bio-based products under development.

The agenda and further details will be circulated in January 2017.

Beyond research, towards the market

ISOBIO is emerging from the research phase and taking its first steps towards its target market. Bringing innovation and research outcomes to the attention of experts and stakeholders is essential to tackling some of the possible challenges in the industrialisation phase.

Against this backdrop, ISOBIO innovation partners held a workshop on 14 September this year at the University of Bath. The aim was to stimulate discussion about bio-based insulation materials and the associated environmental and LCA issues. The workshop took place alongside an event held by the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), focusing on embodied carbon issues and providing useful insights and strategies for reducing it.

ISOBIO had the opportunity to share knowledge about major topics such as life cycle assessment and cost analysis, key results of demonstration actions (including, carbon sequestration, waste minimisation, efficient energy and raw material use) as well as a case study of a nearly-zero energy residential building made with straw bales and timber. This highlights a strong link among bio-based building systems, energy efficiency and indoor comfort, allowing strong connection between the bio-economy and energy sectors to be created. The workshop was also an opportunity to hear about ASBP activities associated to the challenges of applying LCA and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to external thermal insulation composite systems and to embodied carbon policies and decision making tools.

LCA and LCC are essential aspects that can bring research outputs closer to the target market. Engaging with stakeholders, sharing knowledge and best practices is key to stimulating stakeholders’ acceptance of the designed bio-based material, which aims to turn a niche innovation into a mainstream product of the construction sector. ISOBIO is taking its first steps in this direction and, little by little, it will need to address all challenges of industrialisation, firmly drawing on its particular strengths and exploiting the opportunities ahead.

 

13 October 2016

ISOBIO Workshop and ASBP event: September 14th 2016

ISOBIO experts are pleased to invite you to the next stakeholders workshop on bio-based insulation materials, which will be hosted by the University of Bath on Wednesday 14th September 2016.

The workshop will bring together industry and producers of bio-based insulation and the researchers of the ISOBIO project, and will focus on the theme of Environmental and LCA issues in the production of bio-based insulation (“Environmental and LCA considerations in the production of bio-based insulation“). ISOBIO innovation partners will share their experiences, present the project’s approach and the first 18 month’s results, as well as discuss and gather feedback on the innovative products under development. The workshop will be followed by a session organised by the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products; “Embodied carbon and strategies for reduction”.

Successful engagement with stakeholders at all levels is part of ISOBIO innovation. Therfore, your inputs are warmly welcome and beneficial for setting the agenda for the workshop. Take some time to fill in the ISOBIO short survey and please follow the link: SURVEY

The preliminary agenda can be acessed here.

The workshop is free of charge, however, the registration is required. To register please click on the button below. Registration closes on 01 September 2016.

Register here.

For more details please contact Nadia Sid at: Nadia.sid@twi.co.uk.

ISOBIO looks forward to seeing you in Bath!