Finlandia Hall, Helsinki's most famous and architecturally unique venue for conferences and other events, is now flanked by a wooden construction known as Little Finlandia. The building will provide temporary facilities during the renovation of Finlandia Hall. Little Finlandia is a good example of Finnish wood architecture and a frontrunner in modular construction. Little Finlandia is a joint project of the City of Helsinki, Finlandia Hall, Aalto University and FM-Haus, and its elements are built with Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL products.
Wood is a sustainable construction material
In terms of construction, Little Finlandia complies with the principles of sustainability and the circular economy, as it is made of modular and reusable wooden modules. “Wood is a sustainable construction material, because it stores carbon throughout the building’s life-cycle. For example, the Kerto LVL products used in Little Finlandia has a carbon storage of 484.5 ton CO2 eq.,” says Lassi Moisio, Sales Manager, from Metsä Wood.
Modular construction reduces on-site construction time to a third
Little Finlandia was constructed from wooden modules, prefabricated at FM-Haus’s factory. The floor and roof structures feature Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL RIPA technology. “Thanks to RIPA technology, we didn’t need as much Kerto LVL for the wooden elements. This matches our ecological values, as it means a reduced volume of material,” says Juhani Sjöman, Managing Director of FM-Haus.
Modular construction has also made a big difference in the speed of construction. “In the case of Little Finlandia, modular construction cut the on-site construction time to a third of the usual duration,” says Juhani Sjöman.
Wooden modular structure enables the building to be moved and repurposed
The renovation of Finlandia Hall is to be completed in late 2024, so Little Finlandia will serve its current purpose for at least three years. After that, the building can be moved to a new place and made into a day care or school building, for example. “To ensure that the building meets the requirements for adaptability, transport and reuse, it must be constructed from durable and premium-quality materials. The elements, made of Kerto LVL products, ensure a long-lasting building that withstands heavy use,” says Lassi Moisio, from Metsä Wood.
Media files: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/FqN9x552P2TG