CLICKdesign software helps specifiers choose wood products with confidence

Challenges

The CLICKdesign project was set up to support greater specification of timber in construction. A lack of reliable information about the durability and performance of wood products put timber at a disadvantage, compared to steel, aluminium, plastic and concrete. The goal of the project was to distill decades of timber research into an easy to access digital tool for the performance based specification of wood.

Solutions

The CLICKdesign project achieved progress in the following areas:

• Robust forecasting of aesthetic changes on surfaces developing the kinetic and/or intensity of variation in such changes due to location, microclimate, architectural design and materials used for construction.

• Studying spatial distribution of fungal decay and its interaction with moisture transport and resulting gradients in buildings.

• Development of a termite and insect performance measure for the first time in Europe.

• Robust integrated performance classification based on the whole set of external parameters – the foundation established for decay, material and integrity aspects, aesthetic limits and performance and termite/insect performance aspects.

• Utilising European standards, the latest research findings and wood databases and putting it at the fingertips of specifiers and users.

• Features wholly not integrated into specification now such as the significant variations due to climate change and exposure dose for wood products and also the distribution and locations of wood destroying organisms, which may for example expand termite risk zones in Europe.

• Inspiring new wood and wood-based products using the tool, supported by training outreach, and creating business opportunities for industries to innovate

The project was delivered in eight work packages:

• Transnational dissemination, led by E Suttie, BRE

• Project Management, led by E Suttie, BRE

• Position and existing models, led by C Brischke, UGOE

• Clarifying the significance of ‘missing’ features, led by C Brischke, UGOE

• Aesthetic performance of building, led by J Sandak, InnoRenew

• Impact of decay on integrity, led by S Fortino, VTT

• A measure of termite and insect performance, led by M Kutnik, FCBA

• Validation of models & development of specification tool, led by E Frühwald Hansson, Lund University

• Industry group

Benefits

CLICKdesign industry group

CLICKdesign created a diverse and growing industry group who brought together the modelled components of performance of wood in use to develop the specification open source tool.

The group contributed directly to the work and were invited to participate in meetings to share their experiences and expertise, review key project outputs, participate in national workshops and pilot the tool to ensure CLICKdesign has practical implementation and uptake. This approach enabled the specification of wood based on performance to become more mainstream which will optimise use and deliver greater user confidence and satisfaction.

The project was significantly enhanced by this group of engineering offices, architects, trade associations, forest product manufacturers and public authorities from Germany, Finland, UK, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway.

Impact

The aim of the CLICK design project was to:

• Increase market confidence with users for selecting wood as a reliable product and enhance an optimised performance of timber in the built environment

• A resilient future and adaptable for features not integrated into specification such as significant variations due to climate change

• Inspiring new wood and wood-based products using performance based specification

• Improve technical specifications for BIM and LCA – In the right language so more can meet ambitions to deliver low carbon construction, through performance based specification with wood

• Support “fit for purpose” product specification public awareness and understanding

• Reach beyond timber savvy construction professionals.