Wood In Architecture Issue 2, 2021

BIG PICTURE
office for a company functioning within
the forest industry; a prime example is the
wooden personnel restaurant, where one
feels the power of wood at its strongest. In
my opinion, the innovative structure of the
restaurant has wider significance, since a
similar space can be adapted to different
situations and uses,” said Pekka Helin from
Helin & Co Architects.
One of the principles followed when building
Metsätapiola was to take advantage of the
developer’s extensive expertise in the use
of wood in both structures and cladding. An
example is the main entrance – restaurant
made completely of wood, utilising Kerto®
LVL beams, plywood, Kerto® LVL casing
elements and narrow wood battens on the
ceiling. The light from the skylights located
between the beams increases the sculpturelike
quality of the wooden structures. When
it came to the choice of other materials, it was
decided that these also should be genuine
and strong natural materials: brick and natural
stone.
“Metsätapiola’s award winning wooden
architecture is an excellent example of how
wooden products can be used for top quality
design as well as for their ease of adaptability
in demanding projects. Our wood products
can be used for impressive structures which
are simultaneously load bearing,” said Jussi
Björman, director, Business Development,
Construction at Metsä Wood.
The building has been awarded a LEED Gold
certificate, which is rare among Finnish office
buildings. LEED certification aims to reduce
environmental effects of construction and
building use and to develop healthier work
environments.
1 One of the principles followed when building
Metsätapiola was to take advantage of the
developer’s extensive expertise in the use of wood in
both structures and cladding
2 Metsätapiola, Metsä Group’s office, won in the Office
Building Architecture category at the Iconic Awards
competition organised by the German Design
Council
3 The light from the skylights located between the
beams increases the sculpture-like quality of the
wooden structure
2 3
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