Mission statement of the House of Natural Resources

The mission of the project “ETH House of Natural Resources” is the development, implementation and in-situ monitoring of innovative structural elements made of wood at original scale, including post-tensioned timber frames and timber-concrete hybrid floors made of beech wood. Further, novel facade elements are implemented and monitored as well.

The project will enhance structural health monitoring. The monitored data will be compared to the “subjective” feedback of the building’s users. The results of the project will provide unmatched knowledge about the behaviour of this innovative timber structure and facade elements, knowledge that cannot be gained with numerical or experimental analysis performed conventionally within a laboratory.

The structural elements made of beech will lead to an increased application of the abundantly growing beech as building material. The timber structure will enable the ETH House of Natural Resources of becoming a showcase timber building hosting high-end structural research including online monitoring for students, architects, engineers, investors, authorities and national and international guests.

For further information about this building, please have a look at the main page of the House of Natural Resources.