Project

Domain Flagship Building

In the field of transition studies the program Transformative Bioeconomies aims to develop new methodologies, concepts and tools to integrate knowledge and experience from different disciplines or stakeholder groups, and that help to support transitions in a broader sense. In the field of the materials transition the program wants to support the technological and institutional development towards the introduction of sustainable renewable materials and the phase out of the use of fossil feedstock. To combine these two goals the program will focus on two different application of which the building sector is one.

In 2024, we have formulated the following activities in the four selected initiatives/ case studies/ projects

1. Insights in the options of growing fibre crops in The Netherlands

  • Workshop with stakeholders in the building industry to discuss the possibilities of growing Miscanthus for biobased building industry – Building Balance/LTO-meeting, Eemlandhoeve, Bunschoten. 7 March 2024 · Publication of a report “Options of growing fibre crops in The Netherlands”: Opties voor de teelt van vezelgewassen voor biobased bouwmaterialen in de Nederlandse landbouw - Research@WUR.
  • Workshop with stakeholders in the agro industry to discuss the options of growing fibre crops in The Netherlands.

    2. Insights in perceptions of users of wooden houses. What is the aggregated evidence? Which story to be told?

    • Workshop with stakeholders in the building industry De Nederlandse Branchevereniging voor de Timmerindustrie.
    • Submission of the paper: User perspective on wooden housing: sustainable innovation to transition building and construction industry towards a biobased and circular economy" submitted and accepted for IPDMC June 2025.

    3. Project “ Potential Dutch biomass for building materials” to present/ visualize the potential role of biomass for biobased building sector based on the (future) characteristics such as water, landscape, soil in the Netherlands. What are the possibilities for what kind of biomass in the Netherlands in the future? Taking also into account future developments on climate.

    • Deliverables: A PPT and a visual of the Netherlands what kind of biomass could be produced where for the building industry, presented at (1) Dutch Design Week, (2) the WUR conference “Transition towards a circular bioeconomy: Finding integral answers together”, (3) Wageningen Design Dialogues, (4) Building Balance-WUR, (5) Vrouwennetwerk Arnhem-Nijmegen, and the authors aim to realize a (glossy) document early in 2025.

    4. Project positioning WUR Building Materials aiming at advancing communication materials for students & external stakeholders, support educational and project leads, advance collaboration HEIs and MBO (Lectorenberaad, Groen Kennisnet) and to build a network of WUR-expertise on biobased building materials, as a first step in the development of a Center of Expertise on sustainable materials.

    • Project proposal Accelerating Biobased Innovative Solutions (ABIS) - An ecosystem upscaling approach for commercial success and societal impact, Collaborative Application by Hague University of Applied Sciences, Wageningen University, Maastricht University, and Avans University of Applied Sciences, for NWO call Realisation, acceleration and upscaling of mission-driven innovation (KIC) 2023-2024.
    • ACT-projects.
    • 2024 monthly Lunch seminar series with 1-2 experts per seminar. It strengthened a (small) network of experts within WUR that is working on and interested in biobased building materials.
    • BSc-thesis Nout van Dillen “Strategische alliantievormen voor de korte toeleveringsketen van tarwestro als biobased inblaasisolatie binnen Nederland” WU-BMO.
    • MSc-thesis Susan van Dongen “Alliance Design and Ecosystem Value Propositions for Biobased Building Materials: A case study in Southeast Brabant, The Netherlands” WU-BMO.
    • Notes of several meetings which we attended, f.e. WeGrow, Lectorenberaad Biobased Economy, Rusthoeve, LenteAkkoord 2.0.
    • (draft) White Paper Accelerating the transition to a Circular and Sustainable Built Environment in 2035: Role and vision of the 4 Dutch Technical Universities
    • Conference Building Balance.

    Publicaties

    Publications