The new InnoRenew CoE complex is arising in Livade, Izola, Slovenia. When complete, two interconnected buildings will cover 8,200 square meters of offices and research laboratories.
The wooden construction phase of the new InnoRenew CoE complex began at the end of September 2020. Construction of the three main floors will be completely wooden, making the institute the largest wooden building in Slovenia, so far.
The InnoRenew CoE complex will consist of a hybrid combination of timber, concrete and steel. Solid timber walls will be made of cross-laminated timber panels (CLT). CLT capabilities have not yet been fully explored. With the measurements to be carried out at the institute, its hybrid construction will allow comparative analysis of all three materials. That is, the building itself will be an important demonstration project that will allow continuous monitoring and evaluation, thereby improving procedures for the construction of large timber buildings.
An especially interesting part of the construction process is the wooden windows being produced with the help of robots. InnoRenew CoE relied on results of recently conducted research about artificial accelerated aging when deciding which protective coating to use for the new window frames.
New infrastructure at InnoRenew CoE is enriching the institute’s capability to conduct high-quality research. The current research topics are diverse and include wood modification, human health in the built environment, cultural heritage protection, the bioeconomy, graph theory, wood-based value chains, e-learning platforms and more. New labs and infrastructure expand the possibilities, and today the InnoRenew CoE can offer a wide range of laboratory and other services to bolster competitiveness and strengthen performance in diverse areas.
The infrastructure and equipment investments at InnoRenew CoE are financed by the European Regional Development Fund and Republic of Slovenia’s Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. State-of-the-art equipment is distributed across eight laboratories.
InnoRenew CoE researchers are presenting the most interesting pieces of equipment in 3 of our laboratories in the below videos:
