Wood Magazine 2/2021

“I t’s like Silicon Valley here,” says Ulla-Maaria Koivula when describing what’s going on in wood construction in North… “I t’s like Silicon Valley here,” says Ulla-Maaria Koivula when describing what’s going on in wood construction in Northern Karelia. And, she should know having moved from California to Finland last year. With the insight of someone who runs a global IT company and is a CLT construction innovator. Ulla-Maaria’s comment hits the nail on …

Wooden schools, architectural competition winners in wood, and downtown Helsinki’s impressive buildings with wooden faca… Wooden schools, architectural competition winners in wood, and downtown Helsinki’s impressive buildings with wooden facades are merely a few examples from the Toivoa puusta (Hope from Wood) exhibition at Helsinki’s Museum of Finnish Architecture. Together they highlight the relationship between wood and a sense of hope. While wood’s popularity in school construction comes from the …

Working with the City of Helsinki, Suomen Puukerrostalot Oy (a Puuinfo partner company) organised an invitational compet… Working with the City of Helsinki, Suomen Puukerrostalot Oy (a Puuinfo partner company) organised an invitational competition for a wooden apartment building plot in Kuninkaantammi. HELST Arkkitehdit Oy won with their proposal “Puuperhe” (Wood family). A total of 64 privately funded, socalled half-Hitas apartments will be built on the edge of Helene Schjerfbeck Park. As …

Puuinfo is producing an eight episode video series on wood construction and life in wooden apartment buildings. The firs… Puuinfo is producing an eight episode video series on wood construction and life in wooden apartment buildings. The first two videos will be completed this autumn. The first video covers the building of an urban courtyard and introduces viewers to a housing association’s roof terrace and pergolas. The second video presents wood-based interior design solutions, …

Using birch plywood, Aalto University researcher Pasi Herranen developed a greenhouse element that is now in use in a gr… Using birch plywood, Aalto University researcher Pasi Herranen developed a greenhouse element that is now in use in a greenhouse built in Piikkiö last spring. Compared to a traditional glass greenhouse, Herranen’s design saves energy, water, soil, and nutrients. His new invention consumes only half the usual amount of energy in year-round cultivation in Finnish …

LapWall, a manufacturer of prefabricated wooden elements, has been accepted by Puro.earth as a provider of carbon remova… LapWall, a manufacturer of prefabricated wooden elements, has been accepted by Puro.earth as a provider of carbon removal rights. Puro.earth is a marketplace that brings together suppliers of carbon removal certificates and operators interested in purchasing them. LapWall is the second Finnish construction product manufacturer to be approved to join this marketplace. Puro.earth has identified &hel

Working together with its partners, the Finnish Log House Industry Association organised a seminar for municipal decisio… Working together with its partners, the Finnish Log House Industry Association organised a seminar for municipal decision makers on the topics of good housing, construction, and municipal zoning. According to the recent Suomi asuu (Finnish Housing) 2021 report from Rakennustutkimus RTS Oy, Finns want three times the amount of detached houses produced by current construction. …

The City of Helsinki organized an open, high-standard competition that received 12 accepted submissions of high quality.… The City of Helsinki organized an open, high-standard competition that received 12 accepted submissions of high quality. Several proposals used wood to complement concrete structures. Low-carbon and other environmental values had a weight of 50% in the competition. The proposal from Hartela and the architectural firm Anttinen Oiva Arkkitehdit Oy was selected as the winner. …

Hoas Tuuliniitty is the world’s tallest wooden building made from volumetric modules. In 2013, Asuntosäätiö joined force… Hoas Tuuliniitty is the world’s tallest wooden building made from volumetric modules. In 2013, Asuntosäätiö joined forces with Metsä Group and the City of Espoo to organise an architectural competition for a complex of wood buildings in the Tuuliniitty area of Tapiola, Espoo. Arkkitehtitoimisto Jukka Turtiainen Oy won the architectural competition with “Tiebreak” that envisioned …

Located along the new Tampere tram route, TOAS Kauppi offers apartments near outdoor, sports, and educational venues. Ma… Located along the new Tampere tram route, TOAS Kauppi offers apartments near outdoor, sports, and educational venues. Made with CLT volumetric elements, Kauppi is the first wooden apartment building built by TOAS, the Tampere Student Housing Foundation. Text: Ida Väänänen | Photographs: Skyfox, Marko Kallio Read the article in Finnish: TOAS Kauppi – kaunista ja kestävää opiskelijoille &h

The Puukeila building, which has been built in Kuopio, is the third design by Arkkitehtuuritoimisto AT to use CLT volume… The Puukeila building, which has been built in Kuopio, is the third design by Arkkitehtuuritoimisto AT to use CLT volumetric elements. The company’s previous design, two apartment buildings for the same client KOy (real estate company) M2 Kodit, was completed in Jyväskylä in 2019. The design and implementation of Puukeila benefited from the experience gained …

Asunto Oy Tampereen Tohtori is a wooden apartment building with an urban look that fits into the compactly built citysca… Asunto Oy Tampereen Tohtori is a wooden apartment building with an urban look that fits into the compactly built cityscape. Tohtori was built using modular construction technology, and industrial production methods were leveraged extensively over the course of the construction process. Located in the middle of a large block along Tieteenkatu street on the west …

Architecture As Oy Kirkkonummen Tinankartano consists of two wooden apartment buildings in the newly drawn up residentia… Architecture As Oy Kirkkonummen Tinankartano consists of two wooden apartment buildings in the newly drawn up residential area of Tinanpuisto near Masala train station in Kirkkonummi. A park stretches along a long side of the plot, which is generally spacious and not packed in too closely. The neighbouring plot is home to the tallest building …

A facade is like a building’s calling card as it entices people to step inside to take a better look. The materials, col… A facade is like a building’s calling card as it entices people to step inside to take a better look. The materials, colours and shapes define a building’s character. Facades need to withstand time but also represent their own era. Text: Inkariina Sipiläinen Read the article in Finnish: Puuta pintaan A wooden façade that is well-designed …

Together with his team, Lauri Rautkari, the Assistant Professor of Wood Materials Science and Technology at Aalto Univer… Together with his team, Lauri Rautkari, the Assistant Professor of Wood Materials Science and Technology at Aalto University, is researching wood surface treatments and their possibilities. Currently, the best known wood modification methods are heat treatment and acetylation. All modifications, whether based on chemical, biological, or physical treatments, cause permanent changes to the treated w

Meteorite, designed by Ateljé Sotamaa, was the people’s choice winner of the 2020 Puupalkinto (Wood Award) and has gaine… Meteorite, designed by Ateljé Sotamaa, was the people’s choice winner of the 2020 Puupalkinto (Wood Award) and has gained fame across Finland and internationally. It also won the North Karelia Provincial Construction Project Award in spring 2021 and was part of a virtual display at the Venice Architecture Biennale. The developer and designers were all …

Read the article in Finnish: Puukerrostalorakentamisen kilpailukyvyn kehittämishankkeet “Wood construction is evolving r… Read the article in Finnish: Puukerrostalorakentamisen kilpailukyvyn kehittämishankkeet “Wood construction is evolving rapidly and attracting widespread interest. Support is also available to further promote wood construction.” These are the closing words of the research report “Elinvoimaa ja kestävyyttä teollisella puurakentamisella” (Vitality and Sustainability with Industrial Wood Construction)

The peripheries and surrounding municipalities of major cities are now drawing in new residents. There is even talk of a… The peripheries and surrounding municipalities of major cities are now drawing in new residents. There is even talk of a new so-called “Nurmijärvi phenomenon”, as they called the move to the surroundings of Greater Helsinki in the early 2000s. For wood construction, the pull of the surrounding suburbs opens up new possibilities. Text: Anne Soininen …

The “Helsinki” single-family house was designed more than ten years ago as a solution for small plots and urban living.… The “Helsinki” single-family house was designed more than ten years ago as a solution for small plots and urban living. The house has since gained fame across Finland, and now has a prominent place among detached house design options. Text: Anne Soininen  Read the article in Finnish: Selkeälinjainen Helsinki-pientalo The City of Helsinki has made …

Text: Anne Soininen |  Photographs: Puuinfo Read the article in Finnish: Kehittyvä kerrostalo -ohjelma ed… Text: Anne Soininen |  Photographs: Puuinfo Read the article in Finnish: Kehittyvä kerrostalo -ohjelma edistää puurakentamista The City of Helsinki’s Re-thinking Urban Housing programme aims to develop apartment building construction and housing in Helsinki. The programme’s key themes are easily adaptable apartments, pleasant courtyard spaces, affordability, a sense of community, re

Can construction be used to promote biodiversity? This question is being studied in the Y Foundation’s Elonkirjota… Can construction be used to promote biodiversity? This question is being studied in the Y Foundation’s Elonkirjotalo project, which is developing a wooden apartment building that binds carbon and promotes biodiversity. Text: Anne Soininen | Images: Planetary Architecture The Elonkirjotalo building is the Y-Foundation’s pioneering wooden apartment building project. It aims to uncover ho