Important Innovations Collection

"Engineered Wood" as the Most Sustainable, Superior Building Material Source: Iceland FABRIC, Portland's Sideyard Apartments, Maine's Ecology School, London's Dalston Works Apartments, Zurich Airport Terminal Purpose:  Fight Climate Change & Fires Future cities built of high tech, fire-resistant, non-combustible, lightweight wood could help reduce the ravages of Climate Change and be the best defense against destructive fires.  That is the startling but growing conclusion among numbers of global architects and engineers.  There's a growing belief that wood, specifically cross laminated timber (CLT), is a superior and more sustainable building material than the concrete and steel that are currently used.  One of the biggest proponents of this new thinking is the prestigious Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Research in Germany.  There are increasing global examples of CLT buildings including Iceland's mix use FABRIC, Portland, Oregon's Sideyard a...

3D Printing Wood Source:  Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden Revolutionizing the Manufacture of Green Products A breakthrough 3D printing technology just unveiled in Sweden could revolutionize the manufacture of green products including furniture, packaging and clothing.  Engineers at Chalmers University of Technology have invented a 3D printing process that uses a wood based ink.  The process could serve as a sustainable and renewable alternative to forest based products. 3D Printed Substance that Mimics Wood The wood based ink is composed of a nanocellulose gel combined with hemicellulose, which binds the fibers in the gel and strengthens it.  The gel is used with a 3D printer that has a digitized form of the genetic code of wood.  The result is a substance that mimics the cellular architecture of wood.  It has the promise of saving trees, creating green furniture, packaging, paper products and enabling a more sustainable environment....