MNEXT > Projecten > Biobased Building Foundation (BBF)

Biobased Building Foundation (BBF)

Sustainable biobased construction materials for underground application, for example for deep building foundations, are still limited. Traditionally, the only biobased alternative for deep building foundations are timber pilings. However, Timber pilings have limitations since they are damaged by groundwater fluctuations in underground environments. Currently, upright pile extensions (in Dutch: ‘oplangers’) are used to protect the timber pilings. However, these ‘oplangers’ are made from fossil basedmaterials such as concrete and steel. The consortium behind the Biobased Building Foundation (BBF) project therefore explores the potential of biobased materials as an alternative for the production of upright extensions in timber pile foundations.  

The construction sector needs to accelerate the transition towards circular and biobased construction. Not only to reduce CO2 emissions, but also to reduce the ecological footprint of buildings, limit the amount of waste flows, and decrease the use of fossil-based materials. Many biobased building materials have already been developed and are commercially available, but this particularly applies to the above-ground parts of a building.  

Main Objective

This project is an explorative study into possibilities for using different combinations and ratios of biomaterials to create a sustainable and circular material for upright extensions in timber pile foundations.  

 

After theoretical research and initial practical lab testing it is our hope that we can start a follow up project to do more practical and in field testing. 

Partners involved