Unique architecture at Floriade 2012 World Expo with Metsä Wood’s products
Metsä Wood press release 8 May 2012
The World Horticultural Expo, Floriade 2012 in the Netherlands, presents a special and unique exhibition centre called My Green World. The inspiration for the centre’s double arched shape came from a seed sprouting from the earth. The exhibition centre was built with Metsä Wood’s innovative products: Kerto-Q crosswise glued LVL and Leno cross laminated CLT.
My Green World pavilion, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, can be described as an ellipsoid with its height and width stretched. The orange protective coating emphasises the connection with the host country and protects against the weather. The architectural design of the pavilion has been made by the Dutch 2D3D, an agency specialised in two and three dimensional design.
The 1200 square-metre pavilion was finished in just six months after the preliminary idea of the 'germinating seed'.
“My Green World is a great example of the competitiveness of wood as a building material for public buildings and constructions. Benefits of building with our solutions include speed of construction, flexibility for changes, and ecological sustainability as wood is a 100% recyclable building material”, explains Ari Tiukkanen, Senior Vice President, Building Products, Metsä Wood. Following its first use during the Floriade, the building will receive an extended life most likely as a multipurpose business activity building.
The structural design was completed by GLC Zuid and STEP Engineering who used 3D modelling tools in their work. The precise angles, curves and measurements of the timber were moulded by Metsä Wood in Aichach in Germany, well-known for the Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain. The robot moulded almost 1,000 parts to create 138 unique components; the largest being 5.6 metres long and 1.8 metres wide. Metsä Wood’s Kerto-Q was used for the integral body and frame of the building to form a stable construction. Leno was used for the structural walkway. Leno guarantees that its glued slats give high-dimension stability, strength and rigidity.
In order to increase the sustainability factor the necessary amount of artificial light is as low as possible. The pavilion is longitudinally and transversally angled toward the sun. This means that the building gets an optimum amount of sunlight. This is ensured by the 49 windows, in the evening LED-lights are used.
Floriade 2012 is organised every ten years and it takes place between 5 April and 7 October 2012 in Venlo, the Netherlands. Millions of visitors will be able to enjoy the park and the various pavilions, as well as the daily cultural programmes focusing on music, dance, theatre and visual arts.
For more information, please contact:
Ari Tiukkanen, Senior Vice President, Building Products, Metsä Wood, tel. +358 (0)50 598 7293
Olga van Iterson, Marketing and Communications Manager, Metsä Wood, tel. +358 (0)50 325 2376
Photos at Metsä Group’s image bank:
http://databank.metsagroup.com/?cart=408-gefahjefbe&l=EN
www.metsawood.com
Metsä Wood offers competitive and eco-efficient wood-based solutions for industrial construction customers, other industrial customers and the home and lifestyle sectors. We manufacture products from Nordic wood, a sustainable raw material of premium quality. Our sales were EUR 940 million in 2011, and we employ about 2,900 people. Metsä Wood is part of Metsä Group.