The era of extensions is now – light wood is the optimal building material

The natural qualities of wood – lightness and strength – bring multiple positive consequences for both individual constructors and societies undergoing heavy urbanisation. According to experts, one of the areas of wood construction with most potential is extension building. Wooden materials like Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) make construction fast, light and green.

Metsä Wood awards Estonian start-up Team 99 for an eco-friendly modular design

Metsä Wood has awarded the Estonian start-up Team 99 for its innovative design of a module that can be used to construct buildings of different sizes and shapes, at the same time reducing their overall carbon footprint. The module has been completely designed using Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) products – making the design fast, light and green.

The awarded design was one of the outcomes of the wood hackathon Future of Wood, organised by the Academy of Art and Garage 48 in Tallinn. The event, which attracted about 100 participants, aimed to develop climate-friendly solutions through the most efficient use of wood, the natural and renewable building material.

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.

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  

Sustainable building and resource efficiency with wood

The construction sector continues to consume globally around one third of the planet's already limited resources. Building with wood products like Kerto LVL enables the vitally important change towards sustainable building. Increasing the use of sustainably sourced wood in construction is a much-needed step in the right direction. 

Prefabricated LVL elements used in multi-storey apartment buildings in Verksbyen

 

Verksbyen, a new green neighbourhood in Fredrikstad in Norway, showcases the future of sustainable living. As part of the project, construction company Arca Nova Bolig is building five five-storey apartment buildings situated in Capjon Park area in Verskbyen. The buildings are being constructed using Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) products – making the construction fast, light and green.