Timber Structures

The 2000-year-old timber architecture reappears in Finland periodically in accordance with the technologies and styles of the time. In a place where open views of lakes and natural forests surround the built environment, wood provides an inspiring physical, economic and spiritual resource.

The origins of Finnish architecture are the smoke hut - a tent-like structure with a smoke opening at its peak, and the farm-house which was built in the interlocking logs technique. The traditional farm house consisted of three typical structures, which formed a large courtyard - the dwellings, a sauna and a barn.

Over the years, timber was implemented in two-level manor homes as well as in larger churches. Late 17th century saw some technological developments such as glass windows which replaced the reindeer skin. In time, logs were covered with vertical wooden boards, and buildings began to be placed on granite bases.

After the Russian conquest in 1809, Finland ceased to be part of the Swedish Empire and became an autonomous Grand Duchy. This brought a massive construction of stone, brick and colored plaster buildings,in a Neo-Classic Style known as the “Imperial Style”.

The awakening of the nationalist Romantic Movement at the end of the 19th century was reflected in all cultural aspects - art, literature, poetry and music. In architecture, a new interest was shown in the timber houses, churches and stone fortresses of the Middle Ages. However, the soft timber did not suit the urban massiveness which preferred granite buildings or plaster-covered structures in the Jugend Stijl. Meanwhile, Rationalism was strengthening, preparing the theoretical platform for the Modern Movement of the 1930s.

A search for residential solutions for the working class, together with the Garden Cities idea imported from England, yielded the Vallila neighborhood in Helsinki (1910) - timber structures creating a delicate urban fabric. In 1925 architect Martti Välikangas designed the Käpylä neighborhood in north Helsinki, bi-level homes surrounding central courtyards, while seeking standardization in timber structures. The two neighborhoods have been renovated, becoming valuable and sought after.

The International style or the "Funkis", as it was called there, reached Finland relatively late and was initially expressed in architectural competitions. Its main representatives were Alvar Aalto and Erik Bryggman who quickly adapted timber details to the new style. Aaltos unique interpretation of the Modernist Style was based on Organic Functionalism as phrased by German architect Hugo Häring, who also influenced Hans Scharoun, Louis Kahn and Frank Lloyd Wright.

In the 1960s timber was massively replaced by concrete and red bricks. Many buildings conveyed alienation outwards, while reflecting architectural richness in their interiors, still made of wood.

During the 70s and 80s, two parallel styles developed in Finland: the first involved the use of glass and steel frames, the second - Expressionist architecture which was mainly exhibited in Reima Pietilas buildings (1923-1993).

It was Pietila who brought back the use of traditional materials - wood, granite and glass. He was appointed Dean of the newly founded Faculty of Architecture at the University of Oulu in 1973. Searching for wholeness in the built environment, Pietila developed the ‘Morphology of Forest’ concept. Headed by him, the northernmost faculty in Finland became a leading force in the timber renaissance, with its graduates winning many competitions.

In the 1980s many timber houses that survived in the new neighborhoods were renovated to house public functions - kindergartens, municipal offices and medical units. Timber architecture began to move to front stage, but this time more hesitantly. The ecology awareness of the early 1990s influenced Finnish architects, who began to express climate awareness by solar solutions, sustainable architecture and the use of recycled materials. In initial stages, timber appeared as decorative elements in shading devices  and outer coverings, gradually becoming part of the constructive fixtures - columns, beams and railings.

The return to wood was expressed also in the 1990 competition for the design of the Lusto (annual wood ring) Forest Museum in east Finland, won by the architect office of Kaira Lahdelma, Mahlamäki. Wood details, maintained by a mixture of tar and linen oil, on a background of bare-concrete construction, soften the façade without decreasing its contemporary look.

Tangible representatives of the ecological approach are the new neighborhoods built in north Helsinki, such as the Viikki neighborhood, where the Science Faculties of the University of Helsinki were transferred to, and the Arabia neighborhood adjacent to the historical city core.

Another important architect who represents the return to timber is Juha Leiviska, who similarly to Aalto and Pietila, provides a personal interpretation of the traditional architecture. Leiviskas linear architecture is characterized by its simple, modest and rhythmic forms. His fame started with his competition award of the Myyrmäki Church design in Helsinki in 1984. In 1991, he planned a library and day care center with a common courtyard in the Vallila neighborhood, to which he added a residential timber unit in 2004.

The yearning for timber was exhibited again in the Heinavaara School in east Finland, built entirely of wood in 2000. Led by architect Antero Turkki, the community claimed that a school representing a place in which the leading industry is timber, must be built of wood. Planned by the American office of Cunningham, who suggested a new approach at a relatively low cost, the structure is considered very successful.

The Sibelius Concert Hall built in Lahti in 1998 was also planned by three of the Oulu University graduates: Hannu Tikka, Kimmo Lintula, and Arto Palo Rossi. Situated on the remnants of the old port, the complex incorporates a new building with an adjacent historical factory, joined by a forest-like foyer.

Another example of a combination of conventional and timber construction is the Misteli Day Center in Vantaa. Planned in 1998 by Kaira, Lahdelma and Mahlamäki, the structure is located on a sloped site with pine trees, among white plaster and red brick houses. While white plaster on one façade connects it to the surrounding houses, timber cladding on the other distinguishes it as a public building. Here again, the timber construction is maintained with the traditional blend of tar and linen oil.

The city of Porvoo is famous for its 15th Century wood structures built on the water. Sited on the junction of two pedestrian axes close to the historical core, the city library was planned in 2000 by architect Tuomo Siitonen. In this rather modern structure, an intimate environment is alluded to by pergolas and wood cladding on some of the façades.

 

A unique combination of conventional and timber construction is demonstrated in the community clubhouse of Leskenlehti, Helsinki, designed by K. Konsultit, A&E Adlercreutz in 2003. While timber construction dominates the interior, the bi-level structure is clad with wood.

The Lajasalo Church built in Helsinki in 2004, was planned by Kari Järvinen & Merja Nieminen with the influence of old timber cathedrals. While the skeleton is made of massive wood, the outer walls of the prayer hall are clad with green copper. The horizontal stripes inside the prayer hall are colored with traditional ochre, and the floor is made of pine soaked in linen oil.

The Hanover 2000 Expo presented Finland with the opportunity to exhibit its renewing timber style to the world. The Finnish showcase “Birch Tree Forest” was the winning entry of architects Siikala & Najus - also young graduates of Oulu University. The central theme was a “forest” bordered by printed glass. The entry consisted of two monolithic four-storey wooden structures, connected by bridges which “cross the forest”.

One of the impressive buildings recently built in Finland is the St. Andrews Church in Oulu. Planned by Janne Pihlajaniemi of Studio M3, the use of wood is dramatic - a huge massive wood panel in which a door is placed, and a large log fence which lends the courtyard a traditional dimension.

Today much construction is carried out in timber: private homes, vacation cabins, saunas and small public structures. The Finnish building code enables the building of wood frames for more than one-level structures, and thus entire timber neighborhoods are erected. However, in larger urban projects the return to traditional materials is usually satisfied by the use of local materials or the addition of wood details to conventional building. This trend is well exhibited in the extension to the Helsinki Parliament planned by architect Pekka Hellin in 2004. While the interior is  made of wood, the building relates to the original one by means of granite stones, to its neighboring buildings by red bricks, and to the adjacent Glass Palace with its white plaster.

Headed by Prof. Jouni Koiso Kanttila from the Faculty of Architecture at Oulu, the Wood Studio initiated a research in 1997 with the purpose of identifying timber elements in the traditional surroundings that can be applied to contemporary, high density urban sites. The study is held in the context of a national project - the Modern Wood City, intended to encourage the building of timber residences in Finland.