Wooden apartment buildings are being built at an accelerating pace in Finland. A new online service lowers the threshold for companies in the industry to target export markets.
Wood inspires in the construction industry. CEO of Puuinfo Oy Mikko Viljakainensays that the current year looks to be very busy in wood construction.
"The most notable growth is in wooden apartment buildings. While 150 apartments were completed in wooden apartment buildings last year, this year the number is over 700. However, this is just the beginning: next year the number looks set to double again to as many as 1 apartments being completed."
Public buildings are also increasingly being built from wood. Several municipalities have made decisions to use wood in the construction of new daycare centers and schools, for example.
“There are several examples. Espoo just made a policy statement on wood construction. Tampere, on the other hand, gives wood users a discount on plot fees. A magnificent log kindergarten and school campus has been built in Pudasjärvi,” Viljakainen lists.
According to Viljakainen, an interesting new trend is building bridges from wood.
"There is a lot of potential in that sector. For example, in Sweden, a lot of large wooden road bridges are already being built."
Instead, single-family house and hall construction is stagnating. According to Viljakainen, this is largely explained by the general economic situation.
Humidity issues started to be discussed
Viljakainen believes there are many reasons for the wood construction boom. One of them is the national wood construction program of the past government term. According to Viljakainen, it has been an excellent success and has kept wood construction on the agenda in decision-making.
“The municipality has begun to see the benefits of wood construction: local employment impacts, environmental values, and so on.”
Private clients, on the other hand, have noticed that wood brings much-needed individuality and variety to construction.
"We're finally tired of having only one thing on offer for a long time. In addition, the entry of large wood industry players has brought even stronger credibility to the entire sector," Viljakainen says.
According to Viljakainen, one of the recurring topics of discussion in recent years has also worked to the benefit of wood. Poor construction quality, moisture problems and the health risks of poor indoor air have managed to stir up citizens and the media month after month.
"These uproar have raised the profile of wood construction. Now we just need to know how to capitalize on the Finns' renewed interest in good indoor air."
Viljakainen believes that the physiological and psychological effects of wood construction will increasingly become the basis for material choices in the future.
Export starts online
According to Viljakainen, the degree of internationalization of Finnish companies in the sector varies greatly. Some already manufacture almost all of their products for export. Many, especially small players, operate only domestically for the time being.
The online service woodproducts.fi and its parallel website puuwoodholzbois.com, launched this year, make it easier for Finnish companies to enter the world. The threshold for starting up has been made as low and risk-free as possible.
“Companies can add their products to the site free of charge. Product presentations lead interested customers to contact manufacturers directly. This allows Finnish companies to target their marketing precisely to potential buyers.”
According to Viljakainen, there are several attractive export markets. Timber construction is currently very popular in many European countries.
"Our traditional trading partner Russia is always just as relevant. With export duties on wood products soon to be reduced, Finnish companies will be truly competitive in the Eastern market. For example, the situation is quite delicious for window and door manufacturers."
China is also increasing its wood construction and purchases from Europe.
Text: Mari Vehmanen
Photo: Woodcity
