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Measurements of moisture content gradients were performed during drying of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). The measurements were done in heartwood and sapwood separately and in all three directions to grain separately. The aim of these measurements was to evaluate Kirchhoff flow potentials and diffusion coefficients in a moisture content range from about fibre saturation to end-use dried. A new method to evaluate flow coefficients from transient measurements is presented. This new method, called the Kirchhoffian moment method, gave good results in a moisture content range from about 30 % and down to 8 % moisture content.

Many buildings, both new and old, suffer from moisture-related problems, with negative consequences on health, costs for rebuilding and lost confidence in the building industry. These problems could have been avoided if moisture issues had been focused on and dealt with throughout the building process. A method for including moisture safety in the building process has therefore been developed. The purpose of the method is to help all those involved to work with moisture safety activities and to document them in a structured way. The method includes a number of routines, templates and checklists for clients to formulate requirements for moisture safety and to follow up and document the measures employed by different participants. There are also tools for architects and design engineers, such as lists of references to literature, check lists and design examples to use for dry building design. For contractors, a number of routines have been developed for moisture control during construction. The method has been applied to a number of building projects. Based on experience from these projects, the method and the tools have been evaluated and revised. This paper presents the validated method and some associated tools that can be used in the building process.

To establish a circular economy in society, it is crucial to incorporate life-cycle studies, such as life-cycle assessment (LCA), in the design process of products in order to mitigate the well-recognized problem of the design paradox. The aim of the study was to provide means in a structured way to highlight choice uncertainty present in LCA when used as decision support, as well as to mitigate subjective interpretations of the numerical results leading to arbitrary decisions. The study focused on choices available when defining the goal and scope of a life-cycle assessment. The suggested approach is intended to be used in the early design phases of complex products with high levels of uncertainty in the product life-cycle. To demonstrate and evaluate the approach, a life-cycle assessment was conducted of two design options for a specific building. In the case study two types of building frameworks were compared from an environmental perspective by calculating the global warming potential, eutrophication potential, acidification potential, stratospheric ozone depletion potential and photochemical oxidants creation potential. In the study, a procedure named the Decision Choices Procedure (DCP) was developed to improve LCA as an effective tool for decision support concerning design alternatives when less information is available. The advantages and drawbacks of the proposed approach are discussed to spur further improvements in the use of LCA as a decision-support tool.

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