COST Action CA20139 Holistic Design of Taller Timber Buildings – HELEN
Final Conference – Tallinn, Estonia
Date: 5th June 2025
Location: TalTech Campus: Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn
Building: SOC, Room 209 (2nd floor) – marked with BLUE CIRCLE


Program
Download program.
9.00 – 9.30 | Registration | |
9.30 – 11.30 | Plenary meeting #1 Chair: Gerhard Fink | |
9.30 – 9.40 9.40 – 10.00 10.00 – 10.30 10.30 – 10.50 10.50 – 11.10 11.10 – 11.30 | Welcome and housekeeping Welcome: Dean’s welcome: Fjodor Sergejev. Hk: Eero Tuhkanen Update from HELEN Gerhard Fink & Robert Jockwer Updates from the WGs Pedro Palma, Martina Sciomenta, Daniele Casagrande & Steffen Franke Adaptability in timber construction: frameworks for flexible multi-storey building systems Esther Vandamme Challenges in disassembly and reuse of timber connections José Manuel Cabrero Circulation of structural timber for structural purposes: A review of opportunities and challenges Rafael Passarelli | |
11.30 – 13.00 | Lunch & STSM Poster presentation Chair: Mislav Stepinac During and after the lunch you can observe the poster presentation, were all the STSMs of the COST Action will be presented | |
13.00 – 15.00 | Plenary meeting #2 Chair: Eleni Toumpanaki | |
13.00 – 13.20 13.20 – 13.40 13.40 – 14.00 14.00 – 14.20 14.20 – 14.40 14.30 – 15.00 | Evolution of detailing, calculation methods, and product certification (2015-2025) – case studies Katja Rodionova Robustness of timber structures Maria Felicita Lateral Load Resisting Systems and Seismic Protection Technologies for Tall Timber Buildings Michele Mirra & and Luka Naumovski Fire Dynamics and Fire Safety Property Protection Measures Ian Pope and Leo Willem Menzemer Design of timber structures to resist blast loads Christian Viau Towards a multi-hazard design framework for timber structures Tuba Tatar | |
15.00 – 15.40 | Coffee break & Lessons learned Chair: Eleni Toumpanaki During the coffee break the participants will get the opportunity to note down in a post-it their key take aways from the COST Action | |
15.40 – 17.30 | Plenary meeting #3 Chair: Robert Jockwer | |
15.40 – 16.00 16.00 – 16.20 16.20 – 16.40 16.40 – 17.00 17.00 – 17.30 | Forced and free vibration tests of Mjøstårnet Saule Tulebekova What Happens over the Support? Exploring Multi-Span Timber-Concrete Composite Slabs Sebastian Krug Strategies for service life and sustainability of the forestry wood industry chain and timber buildings Joris Van Acker Moisture management during construction Matthew Caldwell Closing Gerhard Fink & Robert Jockwer | |
17:30 – 18:30 | Lab-tour Eero Tuhkanen | |
19:00 – | Dinner |
Accessibility – Transportation and Accommodation
The TalTech campus is located in Mustamäe, Tallinn, and is well connected to the city centre and Tallinn Airport via public transport and other travel options.
The venue address on TalTech Campus is Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn.
From Tallinn airport, you can use public transportation or take a taxi. Bus no 45 connects the university with the airport (only working days). The bus stop in front of the university is Tehnikaülikool.
From the city centre, near Kaubamaja and Viru shopping Centre, take either
- bus 83 (https://transport.tallinn.ee/#bus/83/b-a) or
bus 36 (https://transport.tallinn.ee/#bus/36/b-a)
Bus nr 83 leaves from the “Kaubamaja” stop (near the big shopping center called “Viru” /Kaubamaja ) or Freedom Square and gets off at the “Keemia” stop, which is just next to the TalTech campus. You can see the SOC buildings, library, and Academic hostel ahead. The trip takes about 20-25 min.
Bus nr 36 from “Viru” bus stop or Freedom Square to “Tehnikaülikool” stop just in front of TalTech main building. The trip takes about 20-25 min.
From the port, the best option is to walk to the Kaubamaja and Viru shopping Centre and take bus 83.
Ticket information: https://www.tallinn.ee/en/pilet/ticket-information-tourists
The most convenient way to travel is by Uber or Bolt services. The price should not exceed 15 Euros
Information about taxis in Tallinn is on the official website: https://www.visittallinn.ee/eng/visitor/plan/transport/taxi.
Accommodation
Tallinn offers various accommodation options, ensuring visitors have plenty of choices when finding their ideal stay. Many of these accommodations can be easily found and booked through popular online platforms such as Booking.com and other similar services. A few recommendations are provided here, but many more options are available.
Go Hotel Shnelli https://gohotels.ee
City Hotel Tallinn by Unique Hotels https://www.uniquecityhotel.com
Hotel L’Ermitage https://lermitagehotel.ee/en/hotel/Park Inn by Radisson https://www.radissonhotels.com/et-ee/hotellid/park-inn-conference-tallinn-meriton-spa
NB! From all these hotels, you can also get to the Technical University by bus 84 (https://transport.tallinn.ee/#bus/84/b-a/21102-1/map), but the stop you need to get off at is Ehitajate tee and walk 5 minutes to the SOC building.
A new summary of COST travel reimbursement rules is now available. The rules for reimbursement of long-distance car travel have changed and require parking receipts or a screenshot of SMS, clearly showing the dates.