Despite the promotion of wooden development, wood multi-story buildings are nonetheless uncommon in Finland. Why is that?

The use of wooden promotes sustainable growth in development. However, its prices are thought of excessive and there are prejudices about its high quality, which makes it troublesome for industrial wooden development to change into extra widespread in Finland. According to Jaakko Jussila’s new doctoral dissertation from the University of Vaasa, wooden development ought to be extra customer-oriented as an alternative of simply specializing in expertise and cost-efficiency points.

“Dwellings should not be produced to meet contractors,” traders’ or civil servants’ necessities, however the residents’ wants. The business ought to preserve the shopper in thoughts when growing product features and development processes,” says Jussila, who will probably be defending his doctoral dissertation on the University of Vaasa on Friday, 18 November.

Wood development would scale back the carbon footprint

Wood development has developed and gained associated curiosity lately. This has additionally been supported by social strain to develop low-carbon development.

“The use of wood is acknowledged as one of many key methods to cut back the carbon footprint of construction, as wood is a renewable raw material that holds carbon for decades and is easily recyclable. However, we know from research and in practice that the adoption of large-scale wood construction has been slow in Finland, despite the well-known benefits of wood construction and the measures to promote it,” says Jussila.

Jussila’s latest doctoral dissertation discusses the adoption of wooden development as a part of the sustainability transformation in development. The dissertation discusses varied elements which can be selling and hindering wooden development from the attitude of Finnish municipal decision-makers and institutional elements specifically.

“Municipalities play a significant role in promoting wood construction not only as instances in public construction but also because of their monopoly on land use planning.”

Jussila has performed an intensive literature evaluate in his doctoral dissertation. In addition, he has interviewed municipal decision-makers about their views on sustainable development and the recognized elements that hinder and promote wooden development.

Pros: good product properties. Cons: high-perceived prices

Positive product properties and product improvements, reminiscent of improved development effectivity by way of prefabrication, promote industrial wooden development. On the opposite hand, increased prices, prejudices associated to high quality, lack of expertise and well-established manufacturing strategies are examples of things which can be hindering wooden development. In addition, the municipal decision-makers interviewed within the analysis recognized restricted provide along with unfavorable regulation as elements hindering the event of business wooden development.

Land use planning and land use are important in selling wooden development

The analysis outcomes present that almost all of municipalities had adopted goals and practices to advertise sustainable development. Most generally, this meant the pursuit of power effectivity and carbon neutrality, life cycle-focused considering and the promotion of using renewable power. Alongside these, wooden development was thought of part of sustainable development. Many municipalities are assured that the present provisions and rules are enough to advertise sustainable development, which in flip highlights the significance of institutional elements, regulation specifically.

Many municipalities recognized methods to advertise wooden development. Land use planning and zoning, supporting local businesses, the development of indifferent homes and setting environmental goals for brand spanking new residential areas have been the commonest. Thus, municipalities have a number of means at their disposal to advertise sustainable development and wooden development.

Excessive regulation mustn’t change into a barrier

The local weather disaster and sustainability transformation are inflicting a necessity for change in just about each group—the construction industry is just not proof against this strain for change. Adapting to vary requires taking dangers and making investments, but it surely additionally creates new enterprise alternatives and, at finest, makes corporations carry out extra effectively.

“In recent years, expectations have been set for public construction about the use of wood, but it is important to note that not only municipalities are responsible for promoting wood construction. The competitiveness of wood products and increasing consumer demand for wood construction are key elements for the growth of commercial housing production. Excessive regulation should not become an obstacle,” says Jussila.

The producer-oriented perspective has change into extra necessary

So far, analysis on the development of wood multi-story buildings has largely centered on the views of housing producers, particularly development corporations, ingredient producers and designers in addition to the professionals and cons of the development of wood blocks of flats. In distinction, restricted analysis has been specializing in housing transactions and residential experiences. In addition, just a few research have examined the position of establishments or municipal decision-makers within the construction of wood multi-story buildings, though their significance has been acknowledged. Jussila’s doctoral dissertation contributes to filling in these analysis gaps.