Wood.TAB - Investigation of thermally activatable timber components incorporating phase‑change materials for heating and cooling

Wood.TAB develops thermally activatable timber components with biogenic phase‑change materials for efficient heat and cold storage. The technology uses the building mass as a thermal storage system, reduces peak loads, and improves indoor comfort.

Short Description

Starting point / motivation

The building sector is at the forefront of numerous energy and climate policy challenges. Achieving the targeted reductions in CO₂ emissions requires new and sustainable solutions, while the demand for energy‑efficient heating and cooling systems continues to grow.

Urban areas in particular are increasingly affected by issues such as overheating, high peak loads within energy systems, and limited opportunities for integrating active cooling technologies. Against this background, making use of the existing thermal mass in buildings for thermal energy storage is becoming ever more important.

Contents and goals

The research project Wood.TAB directly addresses these challenges. Its objective is the development, optimization, and real‑world demonstration of an innovative building technology: thermally activatable timber construction elements with integrated biogenic phase‑change materials (PCM).

Methods

This combination of a sustainable structural material, functional enhancement through PCM, and actively controllable heat supply and removal via thermally activated building systems (TABs) opens new pathways for highly energy‑efficient buildings. The outcome is a hybrid system that operates both as a latent heat storage unit and as an actively controllable thermal buffer, thereby reducing peak loads, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing indoor comfort.

Expected results

The project integrates material science, building technology, material and building simulation, and practical field testing. Together, these efforts establish a technological foundation for the broad adoption of flexible timber‑based systems in both new construction and renovation projects. By combining sustainable building materials with innovative thermal storage technology, Wood.

TAB represents a significant step toward future‑proof construction practices. The project results provide the basis for market‑ready solutions that can play a meaningful role in decarbonizing the building sector.

Project Partners

Project management

Fachhochschule Salzburg GmbH

Project or cooperation partners

Bernhard Mösl - Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Bernhard Mösl
Karl Esterbauer - Esterbauer Holzbau GmbH
Alfred Vorderegger - HTPLAN GmbH

Contact Address

Fachhochschule Salzburg GmbH
Thomas Schnabel
Markt 136a
A-5431 Kuchl
Tel.: +43 (0) 50-2211-2403
E-mail: thomas.schnabel@fh-salzburg.ac.at
Web: www.fh-salzburg.ac.at