New public buildings in Finland have to incorporate more wood, which is leading builders to innovate.
It smells like a lush pine forest in the lunch room of a new upper secondary school in Helsinki, but there's no scented air freshener.The school won't be completed until next year, although smooth wooden panels already line many of the interior walls. Wood has also been used in load-bearing structures, to support the ceilings between the floors, and as cladding on the exterior.
With three-quarters of land in Finland covered by forests, wood is a readily available material here, although it does need to be strengthened for use in mid-rise and tall buildings.Wood is practical and aesthetically pleasing, says engineer Miimu Airaksinen Engineered wood like CLT has a range of environmental benefits, including being much lighter than many building materials, so less heavy machinery and energy is needed during construction. Buildings can also be quicker to complete since there is no drying phase as there is with concrete.Plus, wooden buildings actually remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit; they can hold in carbon that is absorbed from the atmosphere by trees for five to six decades.
Engineered woods like CLT have been used in Europe since the 1990s, but they have had a resurgence in Finland thanks to a government-backed wood-building programme designed to ensure 45% of public buildings use wood as a key material by 2025. Developers can apply for grants and get help with tasks such as procurement and risk communication. "I think every company [here] is doing wooden buildings today," says Ms Airaksinen. "The pressure is on for sustainability.
It is also home to the headquarters of Finnish gaming giant Supercell, where huge carved wooden characters and dramatic curved panels make for an impactful reception area, and wood lines the walls of eight storeys of open-plan office space, cafes and even nap rooms. "From a climate perspective it is a good way to store carbon, but on the other hand we are increasing the overall level of consumption of natural resources," says Mai Suominen, a leading forest expert for WWF. "Because obviously we do need other wood-based products as well, such as paper or packing material, [and] if we plan to increase other production, we are increasing the level of cutting.
For example, other recent innovations designed to improve sustainability in the sector, such as recyclable concrete and steel, might be more durable than wood in large-scale projects such as very tall apartment blocks, public venues or bridges.
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