In Finland, the construction of wooden apartment buildings has faced many obstacles despite a favourable public image. Although wood construction has received much attention for its environmental friendliness and sustainable development potential, strict regulations and bureaucracy have slowed its uptake. These regulations have often been seen as favouring the concrete industry, which has kept timber construction on the margins. The author, Kyösti Kekki, wonders why Finland is not taking advantage of the opportunity offered by timber-framed apartment buildings to mitigate climate change and develop cities as part of a wider sustainable building strategy.
The challenges facing timber construction in Finland are largely related to regulatory rigidity. When companies seek to bring innovative wood solutions to the market, they often encounter complex bureaucratic red tape that slows down the progress of projects. In Finland, fire safety is still based on old-fashioned tabular design, which hinders development. This is in stark contrast to Sweden, where functional sizing gives designers more flexibility and allows more efficient use of wood.
In Sweden, steps have been taken to remove unnecessary restrictions, and there is a boom in the construction of timber apartment buildings. By allowing functional dimensioning in fire safety, Sweden has shown that safety and flexibility can go hand in hand. This has allowed for a wider uptake and growth of timber construction, which in turn provides a competitive advantage and promotes sustainability.
Reform of Finnish regulations could open up new opportunities for wood construction. New regulations could make it possible to reduce bureaucracy, increase the flexibility of timber construction and enhance the use of wood in urban development. Kekki calls for regulatory reforms to truly harness the potential of wood construction and turn cities into carbon sinks that respect natural resources.
Our forests are rich in wood resources that could serve as carbon sinks in urban environments, but this potential has not been sufficiently exploited at this stage. Wooden apartment buildings have the potential to act as carbon sinks in cities, providing ecological building alternatives and improving urban amenity.
Ultimately, it is not just a question of regulation or bureaucracy, but of attitudes and strategy. Instead of protecting the concrete industry, Kekki suggests that Finland could exploit the potential of timber-framed apartment buildings as part of a wider energy transition and greener urban development. As reducing wood damage and emissions is a common goal, lobbying and deregulation of wood construction could provide new opportunities for the industry to develop sustainable building solutions.
Kekki hopes that Finland will open its eyes to the potential of timber apartment buildings and take steps to streamline regulations. In this way, Finland could join the other Nordic countries as a pioneer in sustainable construction and offer its residents more environmentally friendly and vibrant living environments. Supporting innovation in the building sector and increasing the use of wood in urban construction can also be part of the solutions Finland can offer to global climate challenges.
