In the next two weeks, the InnoRenew Centre of Excellence in Izola will host the first international school on wood and its use in sustainable construction. The summer school, entitled Wood for Sustainable Built Environment, is the result of a joint effort of the research institute InnoRenew CoE and of UP FAMNIT.
The Summer School has attracted well-established experts and aspiring students from as many as ten countries. During the Summer School, they will listen to a wide range of experts from UP FAMNIT and InnoRenew, who will introduce them to modern approaches to sustainable and circular building materials, both in theory and in practice, with wood receiving the most attention.
A rainy morning accompanied the participants on their arrival at the premises of the largest wooden building in Slovenia. They were welcomed by the programme manager of the summer school, the director of InnoRenew CoE and the head of the New European Bauhaus Pioner Hub, Prof. Dr. Andreja Kutnar. She delighted everyone by listing all the educational and interesting things that awaited them in the coming days.
The presentation of the building where the participants were located was next on the agenda. Eva Prelovšek Niemelä, designer of the InnoRenew CoE building, presented a number of fascinating and innovative approaches to her work in designing the largest timber building in Slovenia. She did not leave out the challenges they faced while working on such a pioneering project and how they overcame them. Many participants had faced similar problems in the past, so there was no shortage of questions.
During the summer school, participants will put their new knowledge and old skills to the test in practice. As safety comes first, we couldn’t miss the lecture and the conscience test, where everyone was taught how to work safely and skilfully with tools in the workshops. Throughout the summer school, the participants, under the guidance and advice of InnoRenew CoE researchers, will create schematic houses that should be able to cope with all the environmental impacts of Slovenian Istria. They will also test their work with a series of measurements that will indicate the quality of the final products.
The day concluded with presenting the InnoRenew CoE premises and research equipment. The participants were guided around the facilities by Associate Prof. Dr. Jakub Sandak, who is also one of the members of the The New European Bauhaus Academy Pioneer Hub. He presented some of the achievements of the NEBAP Hub to date. This summer school will be an important milestone for it, as sustainable building experts will work with the participants to gain valuable information on how they can further improve their teaching on sustainable construction.
