Building D(emountable) – fast construction with hybrid structures

The architectural office cepezed from the Netherlands wanted to build a four-storey office building that could be moved to another location, if needed. The end-result, Building D(emountable), is a hybrid structure that combines a steel structure with wooden elements and a glass façade.

Using Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) elements made the project more sustainable, and the lightweight elements were extremely fast to install.

“I was impressed by the speed in assembly,” says cepezed founder and architect Jan Pesman. “The whole stability structure was put together in only three weeks. Kerto LVL elements were practical and really suitable for prefabricated, industrial construction methods.”

Metsä Wood’s Hybrid City initiative is searching for ways to make construction more sustainable while maintaining efficiency using current building methods.

Improving sustainability is imperative: construction alone uses 50% of the world’s resources. However, the transition will only happen if construction companies can maintain efficiency. The world needs a Plan B.

Metsä Wood is calling on building engineers and construction companies to join in an initiative to discover the world’s best solutions for more efficient, sustainable, modular and practical building methods. The most innovative hybrid construction idea to be awarded €10,000.

A wooden Metsä Pavilion in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic Games

​Metsä Group and Business Finland are joining forces in building a wooden Metsä pavilion to be used in Tokyo during the Olympic games. The pavilion will be built on the grounds of the Finnish Embassy in the centre of Tokyo, Japan.

The building will be made entirely from Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) elements. This pavilion is an example of innovative architecture based on industrially manufactured wooden elements. The pavilion has been designed by world-renowned Finnish architect Pekka Helin from Helin & Co Architects.

The raw material for the pavilion comes from sustainably grown Finnish forests, owned by Jukka Heikkonen. 

The structural design of the Metsä Pavilion has been done by a Finnish company, AINS Group. Project Manager Lasse Hietanen is responsible for the structural design of the Metsä Pavilion. The main goal was to create this unique building using as few parts as possible, making the production of Kerto LVL as efficient as possible.

 

The elements used in Metsä Wood and Business Finland’s Metsä Pavilion were produced at the Timberpoint factory in Loviisa, Finland. CEO and co-founder of Timberpoint Marko Suonpää  highlights that tight-knit collaboration between several professionals made the pavilion come to life.

 

European LVL handbook has been published!

New European LVL handbook is the first comprehensive summary of the properties and end uses of LVL products. It has been compiled and published by the woodworking industry. The handbook is an extensive source of information for designers, engineers and builders.

The LVL handbook was published on September 26, 2019 at the Forum Wood Building Nordic conference in Helsinki. You can download the LVL handbook as pdf. 

The Federation of the Finnish Woodworking Industries and the German Studiengemeinschaft Holzleimbau published on behalf of the LVL producers a joint technical bulletin that specifies the strength classes, tolerances and additional design provisions for LVL. The calculations in the LVL Handbook are based on this bulletin.

The Technical bulletin is available on website https://puutuoteteollisuus.fi/images/pdf/LVL_bulletin_eng.pdf