FOCUS TOPICS

- Modular, circular and climate neutral construction.

While prefabrication is a key to sustainable large scale construction, modularity for circular use of buildings can lead to radically new ways of financing construction. We challenge teams to propose new modular building solutions for the purpose of rebuilding Ukraine. Developed buildings should be modular, made largely of biogenic materials, and designed for reuse. First prototyped in Estonia, the production of these buildings should shift to Ukraine engaging local people and businesses and turning Ukraine from the consumer to the supplier of climate neutral buildings, serving the demand from the EU.

 - Technologies for rapid design, engineering and production.

Both digital technologies for imagining and production technologies for realization of green buildings. High tech for design and planning, pop-up factories for rapid production, harnessing local people for distributed production.

 - Smart valorization of biomass in construction and long-lasting products.

Technologies for using low-quality or „leftover“ biomass (sawdust, construction waste, fungi, agricultural biomass etc) in novel products or construction. This topic can also be combined with or get input from other focus topics. The word „valorisation“ can be interpreted freely, but the process should feature a research component.

Some examples: wood foam, bio-based materials, mycelium based materials, bio-based leather, straw construction system. 

 - Roll-up, Fold-up, Flip-up, Pack-up - products that fit perfectly into, onto or next to modular buildings.

Using wood- and biomass-based materials and innovative approaches and quick-fixes for revitalising urban environment with timber. Adaptable and flexible interiors and outdoor furniture for modular buildings. Use of digital technologies for the interior division of space and adaptable and flexible furniture to respond to a growing need to access functional spaces at affordable costs. We expect solutions with adaptable and mobile components in order to allow contributing to affordability since it provides the necessary utility without the need to resort to larger construction areas. Solutions should respond to the challenge of the circular economy.

🍃 ESTDEV challenge to rebuild Ukraine: Modular family houses for children who have lost their home

On the 1st of November, 2022 there were about 2 800 000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ukraine. In Zhytomyr Oblast, there were 70 929 IDPs including 20 016 children. One-third of whom are children who have lost their parents or were forced to evacuate without parents.

There is a growing need to accommodate and take care of such children in Ukraine. Currently, they are temporary allocated in hospitals or in other public buildings. This is a huge concern and needs immediate attention. Therefore we ask teams to develop a modular family type of buildings for orphans and children who were forced to evacuate without parents. 

In one family house, there are 6-8 children with foster parents. Buildings must be with durable construction and with quick installation to provide critical relief. Together with designing and building the family houses, it is important to transfer the SOS village concept into the context of Ukraine and provide training and psychological support for the children.

🍃 Startup Estonia Challenge: Wood industry in 2050.

What will the products and services of the wood industry be like in 2050? Is it possible to maintain a balance between ecology and entrepreneurship and how?

Startup Estonia is looking for future products-services with a bold vision, the profitability and market maturity of which may not be watertight today, but "what if it works out"? From bioengineering to organic architecture, knock us out.

We’re inviting tech-savvy and startup-minded individuals and teams to take up the challenge and boost the number of startups in the fields of forestry and architecture. The wood makeathon is the perfect testing ground for this.

🍃 Thermory & Ülemiste City Challenge: Revitalising the urban environment with timber.

  Prize pool: €2000

There is a growing need to access functional spaces at affordable costs, both in Ukraine and elsewhere. We invite you to use thermally modified wood (and other required materials) plus innovative approaches for revitalising the urban environment with timber.

We are looking for ideas that deliver adaptable and flexible outdoor structures, modular small buildings, urban biophilic designs, outdoor furniture and other small forms.

Solutions should include:

- daptable and mobile components in order to allow contribute to affordability since it provides the necessary utility without the need to resort to larger construction areas.

- a creation of a human-scale livable environment and a way to bring nature closer to people.

- circular economy principles.

They can be quick & easy to install, however, meant for long-term use.

EKA various workshop spaces are open for the Garage48 Future of Wood participants to make your most imaginative ideas into prototypes!

Woodworking Area

Is divided among three rooms: a machinery room, a classroom furnished with workbenches, and a finishing room for painting and fashioning plastic models from various fibers.

Depending on the material, the Woodworking Area allows for sawing, chiselling, planing, milling, boring, lathing, sanding, gluing and bending various materials laminated in a vacuum.

The Prototyping Lab

Hosts the 3D printers, CNC milling machines, laser cutters and electronics subjects. The prototyping lab has 10 3D printers using plastic and wood fiber filament, three smaller CNC milling machines, one large CNC milling machine (500x400x40mm) with a very high precision class for metal and one laser cutting machine with a large work area. In addition, the lab has a wide selection of battery powered tools, manual tools, electronic tools and modeling equipment.

The 3D Lab

Tools for prototyping and digital environment outputs into physical space:

- 100W laser cutter with an operating area of 600 × 900 mm (can be used by those who have completed training)

- Universal Robots UR10 6-axis Kobot

Digitalization of 2D/3D/4D analogue/physical environment:

- Microscribe G2L 3D digitizer with an operating area of 1500 mm (can be used by those who have completed training)

- Leica Disto S910 3D and laser distance meter (can be used by those who have completed training)

- Flir E5 thermal camera (can be used by those who have completed training)

WHAT IS A GARAGE48 HACKATHON ALL ABOUT?

Hackathon is a weekend-long intensive development event to work out new web and mobile applications or novel services and products and bring new startups to life. The event is open for both university students and already working specialists. We start on Friday with only one goal in mind - to have a working prototype by Sunday to present to the jury. All the teams will be supported by internationally experienced mentors throughout the event.

WHO WILL OWN MY IDEA?

The developed product's IP remains the property of the team, who is participating in the program. If any outside party (investors, other companies, governmental organizations) wishes to proceed and acquire the prototype developed during the hackathon, a mutual agreement must be signed about the IP. The organizers, partners and sponsors of the program will not take over any rights or equity in the ideas at the hackathon. The team will agree among themselves on who owns a part of the idea.

CAN I PARTICIPATE ONLINE?

The event will be held fully onsite in Tallinn and all participants are expected to join us on the spot. Participants from Ukraine either with full teams or individually, can join the makeathon online and join teams via an online matchmaking event happening before the main event.

All the pitching, checkpoints and mentoring will happen on the spot. Team members present in Tallinn are responsible for the experience of online team members.

TEAM FORMATION
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WHAT ARE THE COVID-19 RULES?

Following the current regulations set out by the Estonian Government all public meetings and events are allowed. In case you are feeling ill, please don't attend the event.

WHAT WILL ACCOMMODATION LOOK LIKE?

Accommodation will be provided to the participants in Estonian Academy of Arts floor premises - just take your sleeping bag, mattress and pillow with you and you have everything needed!

HOW WILL THE PRIZE MONEY BE DISTRIBUTED?

All the prize money will be subject to taxes and will be distributed by Garage48 or the challenge partner. The distribution of prize money between the team members is a matter of the team members to decide. Prize money payment can be made to one person or several.