Elements for the Sustainable Future: durable, moisture resistant construction elements for even the most demanding conditions with 100 + years life cycle.
Wood construction for any environment on earth
Exhibition of the first construction element technology in the world harnessing vacuum drying phenomenon as a maintenance service.
When
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Where
In front of Väre Aukio (Väre square)
Otaniementie 14, 02150 Espoo
The Vacuum Insulation System (VIS) is a novel wood construction technology that has great potential to play a major role in the future of carbon neutral construction. In addition, VIS paves a way to combine wood construction and vertical farming to cut down the constructional CO2 emissions of urban food production of the future.
VIS technology relieves the possible moisture problems inside a wood construction element that may stay invisible for years or even decades, leading to structural weakening of wood and indoor air quality problems. The inventive step demonstrates the possibility to remove unwanted extra moisture onsite before the biodegradation process kicks in without the need for demolishing any structures or replacing materials.
Working Group, Technology
- PhD student Pasi Herranen, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems
- Senior University Lecturer Jouni Freund, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Research Fellow Alp Karakoc, Department of Communications and Networking
- Professor of Wood Material Science Lauri Rautkari, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems
Working Group, Vertical farming
- Post-doctoral researcher Vahid Arabzadeh, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems
- Panu Miettinen, Commercialization, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems
- Professor of Water and Environmental Engineering Matti Kummu
- Senior Scientist Titta Kotilainen, Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), Finland
Partners
- VVR Wood Oy (Element Manufacturer)
- Wiiste Oy (IoT Sensor Provider)
Contact
Pasi Herranen
PhD student, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems
Designs for a Cooler Planet
Aalto University’s biggest annual exhibition showcases interdisciplinary experiments at Marsio, Otakaari 2. Open 5 Sept – 28 Oct 2025.
Anything but an ordinary greenhouse
A wood-structured windowless greenhouse consumes only half as much energy as a traditional glass greenhouse. In addition to producing food, Pasi Herranen’s invention could generate electricity and excess heat in the future.