Metsä Wood develops energy-efficient solutions that support sustainable development for different types of buildings in cooperation with developers, the construction industry and research communities.
Metsä Wood and SPU Systems, a Finnish company specialising in energy-efficient construction, have together developed a Kerto-framed passive roof element. The strong and slender Kerto LVL, together with SPU insulation, guarantee excellent heat insulation and airtightness, thus fulfilling the requirements of passive houses. SPU Passive Roof solutions are already being used in several locations around Finland.
In Germany, we are cooperating with Passivhaus Institut in the development of low-energy and passive houses. The Finnframe system is the first ever I-beam-based construction system for passive houses certified by Passivhaus Institut.
In the UK, we are cooperating with Trada Technology in developing low-energy constructions that meet the new requirements of the country.
For our commercial customers interested in ecological commercial construction, we have developed a GreenStore concept based on Kerto and glulam. The first implemented projects include solutions for Tesco and Ikea.
The first eco-efficient multi-storey buildings were implemented for the Ylöjärvi Housing Fair in Finland in 1996. Finnforest Modular Office Tapiola, which was completed in 2005, received grade B according to the Finnish PromisE environmental classification system. Only 10 per cent of Finnish office buildings have achieved this particular class.
In 2009–2010, we participated in the development of future solutions for energy-efficient construction in the form of Luukku House, a zero-energy building created by the Aalto University team. The framework of the building was made of Kerto panels. Luukku House entered Solar Decathlon Europe 2010, a competition for energy-efficient construction, and it won the first prize for architecture and came in fifth in the overall competition.
Metsä Wood is a member of the Finnish Wood Research community, which executes research and innovation programmes in the wood products sector. The key area of research is wood construction, which is efficient with regards to the use of energy and materials. The global partners of FWR include CEI-Bois, the European Confederation of woodworking industries, cooperation programme Building with Wood, and Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform FTP.