To achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 Finland’s property development businesses are increasingly looking towards wood as a material used in the construction of buildings.   

Wood City is a major building project in Helsinki that uses timber as the main construction material. It is being developed in an area of the city that was a former container port. The Helsinki-based property development company, SRV is behind the Wood City project which is heavily supported by the Finnish government. 

Timber is a readily available resource in Finland with 75 per cent of the country covered by forests, which makes wood a readily available building material that can be used in construction. Wood City is under construction in Helsinki’s Jätkäsaari quarter which will be transformed into a residential area which will include housing for 17,000 people, premises for businesses and a school built from timber. The development also has a new office block that will be occupied by a gaming company and a hotel. Each building will be eight storeys made from solid wood, surrounding a green communal courtyard. 

Using timber in construction can be considered an example of the circular economy. This means extending the life cycle of land resources for as long as possible by recycling, repairing, reusing and refurbishing (you could call it the 4 Rs). By using wood extensively in the construction of Timber City, there is the opportunity to use recycled material in the construction process and potentially reuse the wood used from a building once it is no longer needed.  

By emitting 30 per cent less carbon than steel and concrete buildings wood is a much more sustainable material. If Finland wants to achieve its zero-emission target by 2035 then timber construction is a direction it needs to go in. Using wood in property development is appealing to environmentally-conscious house buyers and entrepreneurs looking for a sustainable location. 

But there are downsides, using timber means cutting down trees although SRV has a scheme for replanting the trees based on all the wood they use (the sustainable circular economy). Using wood in construction means there are limits on the height of buildings and there is an increased fire risk compared to steel and concrete. 

The natural theme of Helsinki’s Wood City makes it feel like an appealing project for a sustainable future. The timber construction approach used in Wood City seems to have a future in Finland. 

Possible questions to discuss with a class? 

1. Why is Wood City considered to be part of the circular economy? 

2. Is using timber in construction more sustainable than concrete and steel? 

3. Research other examples of timber being used in projects like Wood City. 

4. Research other examples of the circular economy.