“Design, Application and Aesthetics of biobased building materials”, Sofia, Bulgaria. 28 Feb - 1 March, 2017.
printThe building sector is strongly requested to provide reliable data on the performance of building materials and products, in particular for highly demanded renewable materials from sustainably managed production. In this respect bio-based products can play a key role and enormous efforts have been made to study and classify a wide range of materials in a quantitative manner. Mechanical, physical, thermal and acoustic properties as well as durability against different biotic and abiotic agents are well investigated as it was focussed by material scientists for decades. However, material characteristics need to get interpreted dependent on the respective in-use conditions. The performance of organic and thus biodegradable materials is affected by climatic parameters, in particular the microclimatic and material-climatic conditions, which are in turn affected by the global climate and design of the respective applications. Performance prediction of structures and components made from bio-based building materials therefore requires particular tools and instruments allowing for consideration of both, material resistance and exposure. For many applications, the key performance criteria are not stability or functionality; it is simply the optical appearance or human well-being that decides on their serviceability. Nevertheless, also aesthetics and comfort are affected by climate, design and the respective in-use conditions. This meeting aimed to provide discussion on how biobased building have been used in the past and what changes are necessary to meet new building requirements. The programme for the meeting can be downloaded here. The meeting comprised of 6 oral presentation sessions and one poster presentation session.
The book of abstracts from the event can be downloaded here. The cover can be downloaded here.