SINTEF Community has a long-lasting experience on wood constructions and instituted several streams of research covering architectural possibilities of wood-based building products, laboratory testing of thermal and hygrometric properties of wood products, and optimization and research in wood construction systems. A long-lasting collaboration with the Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings and the Research Centre on Zero Emission Neighborhoods in Smart Cities strengthened the knowledge and expertise in nearly zero energy buildings where wood is the main construction material. The NERO project is therefore an excellent opportunity to contribute with past experience and acquire knew knowledge in wood constructions and nearly zero emissions buildings.

In City of Kouvola, all of the new wooden public service buildings being built during the 2^nd half of the last decade follow national new nearly zero energy legislation. Comfortable, energy efficient buildings and low-carbon life of existing City building stock enjoy prestige in both City Strategy 2030 and Environmental Programme 2030.    
With the NERO project, our accumulated level of knowledge will strengthen.  Wooden public buildings will become more common and diverse, at the same new environmental criteria for developers and designers will be laid down. This will open up to our advanced actors a wider market. It is great to have recognition given by the EC and opportunity to continue our work, together with our competent Nordic partners.

NERO focuses to nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) in Nordic countries where there are massive resources and good skills to manufacture and construct wooden buildings but heating is clearly dominating and the cost of heavily insulated nearly zero energy buildings is evidently challenge. Thinking of cost effective solutions prefabricated wooden buildings could provide solid option to achieve nZEB requirements in a cost effective manner – that’s the main objective of NERO project to be demonstrated with best practice case studies.