Sustainable Foundations for Industrially Manufactured Timber Buildings

Sustainable Foundations for Industrially Manufactured Buildings

The project has developed and evaluated foundation solutions with significantly lower climate impact compared to traditional concrete slabs on the ground. Through life cycle assessments, structural development, and extensive testing, the project has created climate‑optimized alternatives for industrially manufactured timber single‑family homes and multi‑storey buildings. Since foundations often account for a large share of the climate impact when constructing new timber buildings, there is substantial potential to reduce emissions by using more sustainable systems.

Purpose and Scope

The goal of the project was to develop and verify foundation solutions that reduce the climate footprint while still meeting the requirements for function, structural performance, and industrial scalability. The work included analyses, structural design development, material studies, and practical tests to create technically robust and cost‑efficient alternatives to today’s concrete‑based solutions.

Implementation

The project combined theoretical studies with practical testing. The work included life cycle assessments (LCA) to map climate impact, development of alternative foundation concepts — including CLT‑based solutions — as well as laboratory and field tests to ensure that the systems function in real‑world applications. In addition, technical tools were developed to support implementation among timber‑house manufacturers.

Results

The project has resulted in new knowledge, verified constructions, and concrete tools that strengthen the potential for sustainable foundations in industrial timber construction. The life cycle assessments clearly showed that even small design changes can lead to significant climate savings, meaning that the industry can rapidly reduce emissions by choosing alternative solutions.

The foundation systems developed and tested within the project, particularly the CLT‑based concepts, demonstrated strong performance in both laboratory environments and full‑scale tests. This indicates that they can, in many cases, replace traditional concrete slabs without compromising on function or performance.

Several of the solutions have already been adopted by industry partners and implemented in real building projects, confirming that the systems are practically feasible and technically mature for the market. The project has also produced calculation tools, decision matrices, and documented test results that provide timber‑house manufacturers and structural designers with a solid basis for making well‑informed decisions. Collaboration between industry and research has been crucial and has resulted in a shared knowledge platform that can now support continued development.

RISE offers continued support

Based on the results of the project, RISE now provides extensive support for companies that want to develop or implement sustainable foundation solutions:

• Technical consulting and decision support
  Assistance in selecting and designing low‑carbon foundation alternatives for different building types and ground conditions.
• Climate calculations and life cycle assessments (LCA)
  Analysis and comparison of the climate impact of different foundation systems.
• Laboratory and field testing
  Verification of performance, durability, and functionality for new or existing solutions.
• Product and system development
  Collaboration with companies that wish to develop or further refine innovative foundation systems.
• Training and knowledge support
  Courses and workshops within climate‑optimized construction, foundation engineering, and industrial timber construction.