Framework for smart condition reassessment of Reclaimed Timber to eXtend the service life of long-lived wood products using non-destructive testing and automated data postprocessing
Coordinator: Katarzyna OSTAPSKA, SINTEF, Norway
Katarzyna.Ostapska(at)sintef.no
Other partners: NO, ES, FI, LV, PL, SI
Duration: 2024-2027
Project objective: The built environment requires an immediate introduction of reuse strategies that address the resource waste and emissions problem. Urban mining and adaptive reuse are limited by a lack of quality assessment procedures that decrease the risk for the industry. Therefore, a re-certification process based on the reliable, replicable, and feasible condition assessment methodology of reclaimed/in-built timber is needed. The essential goals of the proposed Ti-ReX project are: – identifying the set of non-destructive tests (NDTs) that are most suitable for comprehensive and efficient condition assessment (i.e., density, stiffness, strength, fire resistance, defects, moisture content, fibre direction) in wood that is feasible for in-situ as well as laboratory setting; – developing procedures for the data postprocessing from NDTs for the highest information value output and combined risk/reliability quantification with an extensive metadata template for data repositories; – testing the developed methodology on a real case study for the adaptive reuse of a 5-story timber office building; – establishing circularity quantification based on the real potential and Life-Cycle Assessment procedure for long-lived timber products, including risk quantification over multiple reuse and recycling/recovery –timber cascading; – developing documentation and a re-certification guideline for reclaimed timber as the basis for European standardisation The main objective of this project is to develop feasible procedures for assessing and documenting the reclaimed timber’s condition that allows for its reuse per the current European design standards, enabling a circular economy transition within the timber construction industry. The project will expand the knowledge within the condition assessment of reclaimed timber using an optimal ombination of several selected nondestructive testing techniques and automated timber customised data processing and visualisation.