Panels & Furniture Asia November/December 2022

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
“In the case of Little Finlandia,
modular construction cut the on-site
construction time to a third of the
usual duration,” said Sjöman.
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KERTO LVL
The load-bearing structures of the
modules used in Little Finlandia were
built with several Kerto LVL products,
including Kerto LVL S-beams, as
well as Kerto LVL Q- and Kerto-Kate
panels. Each of these products offers
optimal usability and properties for
their purpose. Although lightweight,
the products are strong and rigid,
according to Metsä Wood.
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The floor and roof structures feature
Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL RIPA
technology, as elaborated by Sjöman:
“Thanks to Kerto-RIPA technology, we
didn’t need as much Kerto LVL for the
elements. This matches our ecological
values, as it means a reduced volume
of material. Of course, it is also more
cost-effective for us.”
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FIRE-RETARDANT WOOD MATERIALS
Little Finlandia must meet stringent
standards for fire resistance. Metsä
Wood reported that the Kerto LVL
structures used in the building have
a fire resistance of 60 minutes. The
building also features three fire
compartments, bordered by fire
dampers that withstand fire for 30
minutes. The ventilation engine room
and the intermediate floors were
constructed to ensure a fire resistance
of 30 minutes.
The wood panels used in the
building have a high fire and char
resistance, and they have been
treated with a certified fire retardant
to ensure they satisfy the fire safety
requirements of European design
standards. The building also has
an automated fire alarm system
and four fire hydrants, according
to Jere Kinnunen, the site’s project
manager. P
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The article was first published by Metsä
Wood, and is reproduced here with
permission.
Panels & Furniture Asia | November / December 2022 55