Reference projects

Heating systems must be insulated in accordance with the German law on building-energy efficiency. For system components such as pump groups, valves or fittings, prefabricated insulation boxes made from polymer foams are available. These can be easily installed and subsequently removed. However, as they are of normal or low flammability, they cannot be fitted everywhere. Insulation using non-combustible materials has been laborious up until now. In collaboration with industry partners, we are developing a practicable solution: insulation boxes made from non-combustible foam that can be overhauled and recycled. Heating systems in building areas with increased fire-protection requirements could, as a result, be installed, maintained and modified more quickly.

Flexible wood-fiber mats are ideally suited for the thermal insulation of buildings - for example as between-rafter insulation or as a filling material for thermal-insulation bricks. Until now, wood-fiber insulation materials have been manufactured primarily from softwood. As a result of climate change, this will be available in significantly smaller quantities in the future. In order to secure the raw-material base for wood-fiber insulation materials and to expand their application potential, we are working in collaboration with industrial partners on the development of insulation mats and novel wood-foam granules made from beech-wood fibers. The project objective is the establishment of a pilot plant for material production. In this way, we are creating a sustainable perspective for the construction industry as well as a high-quality utilization possibility for beech wood, which will be increasingly available in the future due to climate-related forest restructuring. In order to exploit the resource “beech wood” even more efficiently, it would also be conceivable to utilize the new wood-foam granules as a filler for transport packaging.

In many buildings, the construction components must fulfill increased or high fire-protection regulations. Simultaneously, the requirements for the sustainability of the components are also rising. In collaboration with an industry partner, we are developing a highly fire-retardant drywall made from wood with a fire-resistance duration of at least 60 minutes. In order to achieve this, we are developing a non-combustible plywood panel as cladding. With this project, we are expanding the application possibilities of wood in residential buildings as well as in non-residential constructions such as office buildings, schools or hospitals - particularly in the higher building classes. In doing so, we are creating a sustainable solution for the construction industry and the wood-based materials industry. Through the use of domestic wood species, transport routes can be kept short and new sales markets can be created for the German forestry sector.

Wood is constantly gaining in importance as a natural and sustainable construction material for buildings. As yet, however, no satisfactory fire-protection solution exists for wood in exterior applications. A lack of flame retardancy is an exclusion criterion for wooden components in tall or large-scale buildings (building classes 4 and 5), unless an expensive and time-consuming approval is applied for in individual cases. In collaboration with our project partner, we are developing an environmentally friendly flame-retardant coating for wood which is exposed to the elements. This should not require an additional top coat and should be transparent when applied. As a result, we are helping to increase the utilization of wooden façades and other exterior components made from wood in the construction industry - for example in high-rise buildings, schools and hospitals.

The installation and rectification of construction elements in buildings with heightened fire-protection requirements is laborious. Commercially available building foams are combustible and have therefore not been permitted in such applications up until now. In collaboration with industry partners, we are developing a non-combustible filling and assembly foam of building-material Class A1. We are thereby simplifying the installation of fire doors and windows as well as the sealing of breakthroughs in fire-protection walls. Furthermore, the new foam should enable customized solutions for fire-protection insulation, for example in the insulation of building technology and the filling of three-dimensional molded parts.

Furniture and construction elements made from wood and wood-based materials are environmentally friendly and extremely popular. Until now, however, there have been no sustainable flame-retardant solutions for wooden surfaces in indoor areas. In collaboration with our project partners, we are developing transparent and colored flame-retardant coatings with a durable fire-protection effect on the basis of renewable raw materials. In doing so, we are expanding the possibilities for interior construction with wood whilst complying with stricter environmental and fire-protection regulations - for example in schools, theaters and airports or in trade-fair construction.

The lighter a vehicle is, the lower its energy consumption during the journey. Lightweight-construction solutions therefore play a significant role in the mobility of the future. In this joint project, lightweight semi-finished products and structural components are being developed for the vehicle industry. New design technologies should enable the integration of cooling structures as well as a production process that is both economical and saves materials. As a demonstrator, the battery system of an electric vehicle is being used. Our focus at the Fraunhofer WKI is directed at the development of a suitable fire-protection coating on the basis of renewable raw materials.

Renewable construction materials make buildings more sustainable. In order to enable a more extensive utilization of wood-based materials in high-rise construction and public buildings, flame-retardant treatment is necessary. In an emergency situation, this helps to prevent fires from spreading. The integration of conventional flame retardants is, however, accompanied by technical disadvantages. The vegetable raw material lignin could be the solution to this problem. In this project, we are developing a bio-adhesive on the basis of lignin, which simultaneously serves as a flame retardant. This adhesive enables the production of flame-retardant wood-based materials without technical disadvantages. Furthermore, we are thereby opening up an ecologically and economically interesting application possibility for lignin.

With its unique structure and chemistry, the Canary Island pine defies forest fires. An outstanding performance by Mother Nature! We have taken this as our role model and are developing a fire-retardant structure based on nanocellulose. As a component of wood coatings, it is intended to provide wooden components, both indoors and outdoors, with effective fire protection which will remain weatherproof for many years. We are thereby pursuing an innovative approach to the manufacture of durable, flame-retardant construction products on the basis of sustainable resources.

Buildings made from wood are good for the climate and protect the Earth's resources. Nevertheless, even wood is not infinitely available, and forests are valuable ecosystems for animals and plants. So how can the utilization of wood resources from the forest be optimized in such a way that the smallest-possible amount of forest area is used in order to build a house? What building materials are needed for this purpose and what can be saved through recycling? What ecological and economic advantages does this bring for urban and rural areas? These are the central questions in this international project. The aim is to build two demonstration houses. At the Fraunhofer WKI, we are developing flame-retardant bio-materials for this purpose.