Wood Construction Research Centre

Wooden structures have been enjoying great popularity in recent years both here in the Czech Republic and elsewhere in the world. Wooden family houses and public buildings contribute to permanent sustainable development, as they have a number of outstanding properties in the areas of energy and economy. Modern technologies are used in their construction. Both curtain-wall and skeleton construction systems are employed and a development trend in the construction industry consists in multi-storey wood-based buildings.

Therefore, it is necessary to look more closely at the properties of wood and wooden structures. In order to learn as much as possible about the specific properties of this construction material, the university built the Wood Construction Research Centre. Its scientific facility examines the potential of wood for use in construction and how it is affected by the widest variety of ambient influences. The research itself is conducted so that a wooden structure is subjected to various fluctuations in temperature, humidity and wind currents. Sensors and probes in the walls inside the structure and even deep underground constantly record the material’s reaction to changes in the ambient conditions and provide us with much useful data. These data are then analysed and the results of the measurements are gradually introduced into practice. Thanks to these findings, they can improve the design of wooden structures in terms of ventilation, thermal insulation, ecology and health safety.

Unique in the Czech Republic, this project has drawn admiration and recognition from other Czech universities and will make life a little better for everyone who is planning to construct a wooden building.

Faculty of Civil Engineering, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava in cooperation with the specialists from the Moravian Woodworking Cluster and company RD Rýmařov, s.r.o.