Events & activities
Research Breakfast: Earthen Materials for Low-Carbon Buildings
17.03.2026, 09:30-11:30
At the 鈥楻esearch Breakfast鈥 hosted by A!BP, doctoral researchers from A!BP and visiting students from BJTU presented their individual research topics to each other in front of professors and teachers from Aalto University.
The topic of the event was 鈥淓arthen-materials for low-carbon buildings鈥, with each presenting student contributing to the matter from a unique perspective.
Qian Yu opened the round of presentations with findings on 鈥淥ptimizing poured earth for low-carbon rural construction鈥.
Cui Jiaming continued with a presentation on 鈥溾婱agnesium-Modified Earth Bricks for Cold-Climate Buildings鈥.
In the second half of the research breakfast, doctoral researcher Tayma Dadssi from A!BP presented research on 鈥淭hermal conductivity of Ultralight Earth (ULE) Insulation鈥.
PhD student Jingyi Deng from A!BP closed off the presentations with her research and findings on 鈥淥pportunities in using moisture buffering bio-earth materials鈥.
Teaching earthen and bio-based construction
During Prof. Junjie Li鈥檚 14-day-visit at A!BP, we will continue developing joint educational activities between Aalto University and BJTU as part of our ongoing Bio-LCArch project, funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education (TFK).鈥 鈥
Through this project, we are strengthening educational collaboration between Finland and China, exploring innovative teaching methods, and bringing together Architecture and Civil Engineering education to promote the use of sustainable natural materials for comfortable, energy-efficient, and healthy buildings. 鈥
We are currently developing specialised teaching materials and co-designing curriculum modules to help future engineers and architects gain the knowledge and skills needed to implement bio-based constructions in practice.鈥嬧
28.07.2026, 09:00-12:30
On 28.07, we began by giving Prof. Li a tour around the A!BP labs, which was then followed by discussions on how the video materials for TFK Bio-LCArch will be recorded so they show effectively how to perform experimental hygrothermal characterization of bio-based and earthen materials.
29.07.2026, 14:00-23:00
On 29.07, Prof. Li鈥檚 visit continued with discussions on earthen constructions and teaching, including presentations on 鈥楧egradation in biobased construction materials鈥 by visiting researcher Arina Ivanova and 鈥3D-printing with clay for healthier constructions鈥 by visiting researcher Leonardo Guglielmi. The day continued with further discussions on the translation of research to the TFK teaching materials, and rounded off with networking in Helsinki.
05.08.2026, 10:00-12:00
Prof. Li's second week at A!BP started with a meeting with Asst. Prof. Posani to discuss planning and coordination within the Bio-LCArch project. The meeting resulted in a final agreement on the delivery of materials for the website, as well as setting internal deadlines within A!BP. Lastly, it was confirmed that the student visitor exchanges from Aalto to BJTU will follow in September 2026 and end with Asst. Prof. Magda Posani's visit to BJTU in May 2027.
06.08.2026, 09:00-22:00
Prof. Li's final day with A!BP concluded with a day dedicated to mobility and networking, supplemented by research discussions in the afternoon. During the early afternoon, Tayma Dadssi presented about the thermal performance of bio-based insulation, followed by Jingyi Deng's presentation on numerical simulation methods, and rounded off with Prof. Junjie Li speaking on the topic of implementing bio-based construction in practice, for example, in rural China.
Discussions revolved around the translation of bio-based research to the TFK teaching materials, followed by a presentation on use of mathematical methods and machine learning in bio-based constructions presented by Prof. Pierantozzi.
