Wood has been experiencing a recent renaissance as construction material mainly due to its environmental assets. However, it has the reputation of being susceptible to contamination and difficult to clean, limiting its use in facilities with high demands towards surface hygiene. This is unfortunate, considering studies showing that wood aids indoor environment quality (IEQ) and can be utilized to reduce energy use for heating and/or ventilation. Against this background, the WOODforHEALTH project aims to generate knowledge that encourages the use of wood in healthcare buildings. It is mapping technical requirements, gathers best practice examples in architecture, studies hygiene and cleanability of wood surfaces, and develops innovative antimicrobial coatings.
The research team has defined the design and performance requirements to surfaces in specific zones (e.g., wards, recreational areas) in different types of healthcare buildings. In addition to compiling relevant legislation, the partners have identified best-practice buildings in the participating countries. This work set the stage for the following work packages.
In close collaboration with the industrial partners, basic coating formulations have been successfully developed. For incorporation in these formulations, new biobased additives have been identified in antimicrobial activity assays. In addition to microbial properties, other technical properties of relevance in healthcare buildings, such as chemical resistance, have been thoroughly studied.
The ongoing work encompasses both the development of coatings and their characterization in terms of technical, environmental, and economic performance.
Wood has been experiencing a recent renaissance as construction material mainly due to its environmental assets. However, wood has the reputation off being prone to contamination and difficult to clean, which has limited its use in hospitals, healthcare units and other facilities with high demands towards surface hygiene. This is unfortunate as studies have shown that wood greatly aids the indoor environment quality (IEQ) and can be utilised to reduce energy use for heating and/or ventilation.
WOODforHEALTH will promote safe and increased use of wood products through the development of antimicrobial surfaces, hygiene concepts and by providing the first extensive guideline for use of wood in healthcare buildings. This will be in response to demands from both the construction industry, investors and owners of healthcare buildings.
The research team will explore the limits and potentials for wood products in healthcare buildings with an emphasis on surface aspects and use this exercise to develop a guideline. The aim of WOODforHEALTH is to meet these requirements with wood products whose uncoated and coated surfaces are holistically characterised for their technical, environmental, and economic performance. Three coating approaches are employed at different TRL levels to balance risk and close-to-market aspects: the development of non film-forming and film-forming coating systems by formulation as well as new binders by synthesis of non-leaching functional groups to the polymer. Natural polymers with antimicrobial effect will replace conventional toxic biocides.
To address challenges of wooden surfaces, the characterisation includes all properties of importance in health facilities with respect to hygiene, mechanical and chemical resistance, photo-stability, flammability and water vapour damp diffusability. A wide range of dissemination activities will communicate the project results to stakeholders throughout Europe and the international scientific community.