DiKieHo - Digital Value Chain for Pine-Wood Timber Construction in the Berlin-Brandenburg Region

The project »Digital value chain for pine-based timber construction in Berlin-Brandenburg« (Digitale Wertschöpfungskette für den kieferbasierten Holzbau in Berlin-Brandenburg, DiKieHo) aims to enhance digital integration and efficiency in multi-story urban timber construction. Focusing on the Berlin-Brandenburg region, the project emphasizes the sustainable use of locally available pine wood. The use of durable timber products in building construction actively contributes to CO2 storage and unlocks new potential for urban carbon sinks. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by substituting energy-intensive materials.

By adopting new approaches to digitalization, integration and standardization, the project seeks to establish a regional »urban timber construction system« to strengthen the entire value chain. As part of DiKieHo, the material and information flows between the various players are investigated to identify the potential for cooperation. A scalable reference model is being developed to create the necessary foundation for data integration and tailored information exchange.

The model that is being developed enables a holistic assessment of both ecological and economic factors, offering options for establishing material cycles, including cascading use across multiple product life cycles. This allows to carry out a comparative life cycle assessment and economic analysis of multi-story construction made of wood and other renewable raw materials. 

The assessment aims to conserve resources, maximize CO₂ storage and thus optimize the ecological footprint for multi-story timber construction – thereby contributing significantly to the development of sustainable solutions in urban timber construction.

• Joint project coordination: Technische Universität Berlin | Institute of Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) | Chair of Sustainable Corporate Development
• Technische Universität Berlin | Institute of Architecture | Sustainable Urban Planning and Urban Design | C H O R A conscious city
• Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research (Fraunhofer WKI)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (Fraunhofer IPK)

Project supporters:

• Brandenburg State Forestry Office | State Competence Center Forestry Eberswalde (Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg | Landeskompetenzzentrum Forst Eberswalde)
  
• Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection of the State of Brandenburg | Forest and Forestry, Supreme Hunting Authority (Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Klimaschutz des Landes Brandenburg | Wald und Forstwirtschaft, Oberste Jagdbehörde)
  
• MAX-HAUS GmbH
• Dörken Coatings GmbH & Co. KG
• Tegel Projekt GmbH | Urban Tech Republic
• German Sawmill and Timber Industry Association (Deutsche Säge- und Holzindustrie Bundesverband e. V., DeSH)
• Main Association of the German Wood and Plastics Processing Industries and Related Industries (Hauptverband der Deutschen Holzindustrie und Kunststoffe verarbeitenden Industrie und verwandter Industrie- und Wirtschaftszweige e.V., HDH)

Official project title: Joint project: Digital value chain for pine-based timber construction in Berlin-Brandenburg (Verbundvorhaben: Digitale Wertschöpfungskette für den kieferbasierten Holzbau in Berlin-Brandenburg)

Sub-project 1 (TU Berlin): Application scenarios and demonstration of the digitally networked value chain for urban multi-story timber construction (Anwendungsszenarien und Demonstration der digital vernetzten Wertschöpfungskette für den urbanen mehrgeschossigen Holzbau)

Sub-project 2 (Fraunhofer IPK and Fraunhofer WKI): Integration methodology and reference model for the digital networking of the value chain based on pine-based materials (Integrationsmethodik und Referenzmodell für die digitale Vernetzung der Wertschöpfungskette auf Basis kieferbasierter Werkstoffe)

Funding institution: German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)

Project management agency: Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR)

Funding reference: 2221HV082A, 2221HV082B

Duration:  October 15, 2022 – October 15, 2025