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Ocean surface pH levels are predicted to fall by 0.3–0.4 pH units by the end of the century and are likely to coincide with an increase in sea surface temperature of 2–4°C. The combined effect of ocean acidification and warming on the functional properties of bivalve shells is largely unknown and of growing concern as the shell provides protection from mechanical and environmental challenges. We examined the effects of near-future pH (ambient pH –0.4 pH units) and warming (ambient temperature +4°C) on the shells of the commercially important bivalve, Mytilus edulis when fed for a limited period (4–6 h day−1). After six months exposure, warming, but not acidification, significantly reduced shell strength determined as reductions in the maximum load endured by the shells. However, acidification resulted in a reduction in shell flex before failure. Reductions in shell strength with warming could not be explained by alterations in morphology, or shell composition but were accompanied by reductions in shell surface area, and by a fall in whole-body condition index. It appears that warming has an indirect effect on shell strength by re-allocating energy from shell formation to support temperature-related increases in maintenance costs, especially as food supply was limited and the mussels were probably relying on internal energy reserves. The maintenance of shell strength despite seawater acidification suggests that biomineralisation processes are unaffected by the associated changes in CaCO3 saturation levels. We conclude that under near-future climate change conditions, ocean warming will pose a greater risk to shell integrity in M. edulis than ocean acidification when food availability is limited.

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Wood modification is now widely recognized as offering enhanced properties of wood and overcoming issues such as dimensional instability and biodegradability which affect natural wood. Typical wood modification systems use chemical modification, impregnation modification or thermal modification, and these vary in the properties achieved. As control and understanding of the wood modification systems has progressed, further opportunities have arisen to add extra functionalities to the modified wood. These include UV stabilisation, fire retardancy, or enhanced suitability for paints and coatings. Thus, wood may become a multi-functional material through a series of modifications, treatments or reactions, to create a high-performance material with previously impossible properties. In this paper we review systems that combine the well-established wood modification procedures with secondary techniques or modifications to deliver emerging technologies with multi-functionality. The new applications targeted using this additional functionality are diverse and range from increased electrical conductivity, creation of sensors or responsive materials, improvement of wellbeing in the built environment, and enhanced fire and flame protection. We identified two parallel and connected themes: (1) the functionalisation of modified timber and (2) the modification of timber to provide (multi)-functionality. A wide range of nanotechnology concepts have been harnessed by this new generation of wood modifications and wood treatments. As this field is rapidly expanding, we also include within the review trends from current research in order to gauge the state of the art, and likely direction of travel of the industry.

A number of innovations in building envelope technologies have been implemented recently, for example, to improve insulation and air tightness to reduce energy consumption. However, growing concern over the embodied energy and carbon as well as resource depletion, is beginning to impact on the design and implementation of existing and novel building envelope technologies. Biomimicry is proposed as one approach to create buildings which are resilient to a changing climate, embedded in wider ecological systems, energy efficient and waste free. However, the diversity of form and function in biological organisms and therefore potential applications for biomimicry, requires a holistic approach spanning biology, materials science and architecture. It is considered timely to re-examine opportunities to learn from nature, including in the light of recent understanding of how plant form and function are determined at the cellular levels. In this article, we call for a systemic approach for the development of innovative biological and living building envelopes. Plant cell walls are compared to building envelopes. Key features of cell walls with the potential to inform the development of design principles ofPeer reviewe

Incising is a technique used to improve fluid flow in impermeable woods during wood treatment processes. Previous studies relating to the laser-incision of wood have neglected many aspects such as detailed analysis of the anatomy of the wood, including consideration of tangential/radial faces and earlywood/latewood interactions with the laser beam. By considering wood anatomy, a complete investigation of the CO2 laserincision processes is presented that yields new knowledge of laser beam interaction with growth rings when incising into tangential/radial faces, and the low-density earlywood and higher density latewood within the growth ring. Southern Yellow Pine, Radiata Pine, European Redwood and Beech, each having different bulk densities, were laser-incised using a 2 kW ROFIN CO2 laser with radiation in the far-infrared regime (10.6 m). Microstructural characterisations were carried out to better understand the effect of CO2 laser-incision and its parameters on the depth, diameter and quality of the incised holes. The laser-incised hole shapes were found to be uniform in depth, however, the hole circularity was significantly affected by the presence of earlywood and latewood tissues. Maximum and minimum diameters of incised holes were measured in the Radiata Pine (~ 1.3 mm) and in the Beech (~ 0.7 mm), respectively. Similarly, for equal laser powers used, the maximum and minimum depths of laserincised holes were measured in the European Redwood (~ 33 mm) and in the Beech (~ 25 mm), respectively, with the laser incident on the radial face of the samples. CO2 laser pulse duration had a greater effect on diameter and depth of incised holes when compared to laser power and showed that the CO2 laser pulse duration is a dominant parameter when designing CO2 laser-incision processes.

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