Stora Enso is launching a new building concept that makes it easier for architects, engineers and developers to design office buildings from wood. The concept provides guidance on the use of prefabricated wooden building components. It also provides information to support the decision-making process for all major stakeholders involved in an office building project.
Construction materials account for 40% of all materials used in the world today and 11% of global CO2 emissions. Wood components and building concepts are sustainable alternatives for replacing fossil-based concrete and steel and for reducing CO2 emissions in construction. Stora Enso has developed a new flexible, modular wooden office concept which meets all requirements for open space, grid space and clear ceilings. The concept enables office adaptation and demonstrates how the building products and applications can be used in a way that meets fire safety and acoustics regulations.“By replacing concrete in buildings with massive wood products like Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), we contribute to a positive impact on the environment, since wood stores carbon over its lifecycle. By using wood, we can help cut carbon emissions by up to 75%,” says Sebastián Hernández, R&D Manager for Building Concepts at Stora Enso.

In addition, there are health and wellbeing benefits connected with wooden workspaces. People perform better and are more productive and healthier in wooden buildings. Recent studies1 indicate that natural design in the workplace can increase the health and wellbeing of employees by 13% and their productivity by 8%. Sustainability and wellbeing are also key reasons behind Stora Enso’s decision to move its head office to a new wooden building.

“Increasingly, employers and building owners are looking for office buildings that fulfil their sustainability standards and reflect the value they place on their employees’ and occupants’ health and wellbeing. Our new head office in Helsinki, Finland, will be designed using our office concept and will showcase a world-class modern wooden building,” says Jari Suominen, executive vice-president of Stora Enso’s Wood Products division.

The office concept is part of Building Concepts by Stora Enso and follows the first concept for residential multi-storey buildings, launched in 2016.

The live webcast for the digital launch of Building Concepts by Stora Enso for offices is open to everyone and takes place on 19 November at 15:00 EET. Registration: storaenso.com.

KNOW Andrew, PARRY-HUSBANDS Howard, Workplaces: Wellness + Wood = Productivity, Pollinate, Forests and Wood Products Australia, February 2018