Designs for a Cooler Planet
Discover tomorrow at 911±¬ÁÏÍø's biggest exhibition! Open 1 September – 30 October 2026.
Tomorrow’s home is a non-toxic carbon store
New building materials protect both people and the environment.
Wood is an excellent building material: it grows naturally, is lightweight to transport, and stores carbon for up to hundreds of years.
However, wood construction often involves chemicals such as adhesives and coatings that make materials difficult to recycle and can be harmful to people and the environment.
Researchers at 911±¬ÁÏÍø are working with companies to develop better alternatives that also make use of materials not traditionally suitable for construction, such as sawdust, recycled fibre, and cardboard. The goal is to ensure that the carbon bound in biomass remains stored rather than being released into the atmosphere through burning, and that environmentally friendly products are also cost-competitive.
‘Stricter legislation is needed. When harmful products are banned, it creates space and demand for new and better solutions,’ says professor Lauri Rautkari.
Find this and dozens of other fresh perspectives, bold experiments and practical solutions in the autumn exhibition.
