FROM WOOD TO ARCHITECTURE |
The Finnish Forest Research Institute
Joensuu, Finland, 2004.
Design: Antti-Matti Siikala
, Metla, is the biggest office building in Finland with a loadbearing structure of timber. Its frame consists of a column, beam and slab system. The columns and lower parts of the beams are made of glulam timber and the voided slabs are constructed of solid timber preforms. On top of the voided slabs is a cast 80 mm reinforced concrete slab, which binds the entire system of slabs into one composite structural element. The structure is rigid, which reduces vibration and improves the comfort level of the working environment.
Entrance to the research centre is via a forecourt, which functions as a gateway, and a courtyard. The walls enclosing the forecourt are made of hundred-year-old recycled logs. The courtyard and the entrance hall restaurant have been elevated above the surrounding planes. The dominant features are the trees that grow through the courtyard plane, the conference space, with its tarred exterior resembling an upturned boat and the diagonal clustered columns, inspired by four-part log floating booms. The workspaces are organised around the courtyard and the entrance hall.
The projected life span of the building is a hundred years, considerably longer than is customary. A particular area of study has been the durability of timber façades, which are subject to severe climatic stress.
Photos: Jussi Tiainen