Thre persons talking in fron of a building.

Project: Sustainable composite floor system for circular construction business

The aim of this project is to analyse the possibilities to solve the problems of circularity in the construction sector. The main objective is to develop a fully prefabricated system of multi-span wood/concrete/steel floors. The proposed system is a pioneer in terms of both innovation and circularity in building construction.

Project information

Project manager
Wit Derkowski
Other project members
Carmen Amaddeo, Eva Binder, Håkan Johnsson, Anders Alrutz
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University, Torps Byggelement AB
Financier
Familjen Kamprads stiftelse
Timetable
1 sep 2023 – 31 aug 2026
Subjects
Building technology (Department of Building Technology, Faculty of Technology),
Research groups
Concrete structures
Linnaeus Knowledge Environment
Green Sustainable Development

More about the project

The development of sustainable construction has been slow so far and further efforts are definitely needed, especially considering that the construction sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The main aim of the project is to develop a sustainable composite floor system for the circular construction business which will be a material- and energy-efficient, cost-competitive solution. This will be achieved through the development of high-quality timber-concrete-steel prefabricated elements that can be manufactured in local plants and assembled on-site in such a way as to achieve high structural efficiency, good comfort and the possibility of later dismantling and reuse. Among other things, it is important to study the long-term effects of the floor system to ensure opportunities for circularity and further assess the potential of multi-span slabs. The preliminary design of the floor element will be complemented by experimental tests to validate numerical models and a life cycle analysis. The development of a "smart element" could also be a part of the project. As current standards in this area are not very relevant in this field, this project can support the development of future provisions in the construction sector. The idea is to develop floor elements that are designed to be produced locally, therefore, it should strengthen the local construction sector and promote a circular alternative to conventional types of floor slabs.

The dissemination of the project results is aimed at four different groups: the local community and its stakeholders, researchers in the field of composite structures, civil engineering students, and those designing the future of norms and standards.

The project is part of the research in the research group Concrete structures and in the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment Green Sustainable Development.

The idea of circularity in the design of composite floor slabs. Drawing: Eva Binder
The idea of circularity in the design of composite floor slabs. Drawing: Eva Binder