Every week, the Lab selects a particularly interesting and relevant news item and presents it in a few lines. This week, the Lab introduces you to the innovation of young French architect Timothée Boitouzet: translucent and imperishable wood.
Cover image: A translucent wood, three times stronger
On April 13, the French Innovators Prize 2016 awarded Timothée Boitouzet, founder of the start-up Woodoo, for developing a process to transform wood into a translucent and rot-proof material, resistant to water and with interesting aesthetic qualities. The main objective of this innovation is to strengthen wood to promote its wider and more efficient use in the building sector.
A process that touches the very structure of wood
Timothée Boitouzet focused on one of the building blocks of wood: lignin, the molecule responsible for wood's rigidity. Using a particular technique, he manages to remove lignin and realizes that wood, depending on the species, is composed of 60 to 70% air [1]. He then decides to replace the air by injecting biomonomers, bio-based and biodegradable plastics [2].
The first consequence of this transformation is that the wood becomes translucent because the cellulose naturally present in the wood is preserved while the lignin is removed. Since cellulose is a crystalline material, it allows light to pass through, making the wood translucent.
Applying the principle of the circular economy (to learn more [3]), the young architect decided to recover the extracted lignin to transform it into biofuel through a methanization process. According to him, this would reduce the production costs of his innovation and allow for cheaper wood.
The insertion of monomers into the microcavities also makes the wood three times stronger by increasing its density. The architect's ambition is high, as he claims that this innovation could allow for the construction of buildings with 30 floors, whereas current wooden constructions cannot exceed 12 floors.
What opportunities are there for the construction sector?
France is one of the leading European producers of standing timber by volume (2,4 billion m3 available [4]), but one of the last countries to use it in the building industry. The economic and technical advantages of the process developed by Woodoo could thus encourage the use of this material in construction.
Beyond the economic aspect, the main objective of the architect is to build healthier and more environmentally friendly buildings. Thus, translucent wood would indeed have an energy consumption over its entire life cycle of 0,4MWh/m3, which is 2 times less than that of concrete, 3 times less than brick, and 130 times less than steel [4].
What's next?
Timothée Boitouzet has just created his start-up Woodoo and filed a patent for his innovative product to exploit it commercially. According to the entrepreneur, his product should be available in 2 or 3 years [6]. Let's wish him good luck for the next steps of his adventure!
The current development of wood use in construction
Construction using wood is currently on the rise. By 2020, two new towers made of concrete and cross-laminated timber (CLT) will rise in Bordeaux [7]. This project is the second largest solid wood project in France, a pilot for the new "Low Carbon Building" label launched on February 18 by the association of the same name (BBCA). Indeed, the CLT wood used has the advantage of being bio-based and recyclable. It is delivered in kits to construction sites in the form of pre-cut panels that simply need to be assembled. This has the advantage of reducing truck trips, producing less waste, less dust, and using less water. This wood is also very fire-resistant and provides excellent insulation, helping to reduce the energy needs of housing. However, the challenge remains to reduce the share of concrete in construction, which leads to a very high consumption of sand, representing a major environmental issue internationally (for more information, click here). Timothée Boitouzet's innovation allows for progress in this direction.
References
- [1] http://www.wedemain.fr/Cet-architecte-a-cree-un-bois-transparent-qui-pourrait-revolutionner-le-batiment_a1778.html
- [2] Transparent wood for the house of the future http://www.techniques-ingenieur.fr/actualite/articles/du-bois-transparent-pour-la-maison-du-futur-32984/
- [3] http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/L-economie-circulaire,45403.html
- [3] IGN, 2012, The forest in numbers and maps http://www.ofme.org/documents/actualite/201211/IFN_PubliNat2012_TOME.pdf
- [4] Besnard de Quelen sponsorship http://www.besnarddequelen.com/grand-prix-besnard-quelen/laureats-grand-prix-innovation-2015/prix-jury-timothee-boitouzet#.V0XFUxWyOkq
- [5] Translucent wood: material of the future? http://www.lemoniteur.fr/article/le-bois-translucide-materiau-du-futur-30890003
- [6] http://www.lemonde.fr/smart-cities/article/2016/03/16/two-wooden-towers-will-rise-in-the-sky-of-bordeaux_4884187_4811534.html
