19.8.2020

As Oy Seinäjoen Mäihä

The first PEFC-certified multistorey wooden block of flats in the Nordic countries has been built in Pruukinranta in Seinäjoki. Its name also comes from wood; “mäihä” means cambium, the layer beneath the outer bark of woody plants.

The certification guarantees that wood products used for the Mäihä wooden block of flats come from sustainably managed forests. Mäihä is a solid wooden block of flats realised by Lakea Oy in Pruukinranta in Seinäjoki. Mäihä combines innovation with respect for traditional wood construction. Wood has also given the building its name. “Mäihä” means cambium, the layer beneath the outer bark of woody plants. In colloquial language, “mäihä” is also a synonym for luck and fortune. Residents’ good fortune is guarded by a tree in the yard that in Finnish folklore was thought of as a gateway to the spiritual world. In this case the tree is a rowan.

The building is composed of spatial modules, which are made of solid wood cross-laminated timber board (CLT) using spatial element construction technology in dry, even construction conditions. An application has been made for a PEFC certificate for the Mäihä wooden block of flats, the first such site in the Nordic countries to receive the certificate, which demonstrates support for a socially and economically sustainable forestry industry and the use of certified wood raw materials.

Project in brief

As Oy Seinäjoen Mäihä

  • Location | Seinäjoki
  • Purpose | Residential building
  • Constructor/Client | Lakea Oy
  • Valmistumisvuosi | 2016
  • Floor area | 1 873 m2
  • Architectural Design | Architects A-LIVE
  • Structural design | Sweco Rakennetekniikka Oy and Insinööritoimisto Seinäjoen Rakennustekniikka Oy SEIRA
  • LVIA-suunnittelu | Granlund Pohjanmaa Oy
  • Electrical design | Granlund Pohjanmaa Oy
  • Interior design | Sisustussuunnittelutoimisto Mäkelä & Roos Oy
  • Pääurakoitsija | Insinööritoimisto Seinäjoen Rakennustekniikka Oy SEIRA
  • Wood component supplier | Stora Enso Wood Products Oy
  • Photographs | Mikko Auerniitty
  • Text | Architects A-LIVE