Metsä Pavilion opens in Tokyo – a showcase of elegant design and fast offsite construction with wooden elements
The Metsä Pavilion is Business Finland’s project with Metsä Group as the main partner. The elegant pavilion highlights innovative architecture based on industrially manufactured wooden elements. The pavilion was built fast and is now ready to host events organised by Business Finland and Finnish businesses. During the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the Metsä Pavilion will serve as a home base for the Finnish national teams. Using Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL as the main material made the construction fast, light and green.
The official opening of the Metsä pavilion, located on the grounds of Finnish embassy in Tokyo, will be held on 6 October. The Pavilion stays open until the end of 2021, hosting various events organised by Finnish companies and organisations.
"We are happy that many companies have decided to bring their events to the Metsä Pavilion, where wood meets nature scenery on the walls, world-class audio, and design furniture – all from Finland", says Petri Tulensalo, Head of Sports Cluster at Business Finland.
Industrially efficient wood construction
The Metsä Pavilion is a showcase of how to construct a stylish building quickly and efficiently by using standard elements. The Pavilion was designed by renowned Finnish architectural office Helin & Co. Architects. The designs for all the elements used in the Pavilion are freely available on Metsä Wood’s Open Source Wood platform.
"We value the freedom of the architects and engineers to design in an aesthetically pleasing way. With our Open Source Wood Initiative we want to enable them with a variety of options", explains Jussi Björman, Director, Business Development, Constructionat Metsä Wood.
The Metsä Pavilion makes the benefits of using prefabricated Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) elements apparent. The elements were manufactured by a Finnish company, Timberpoint. The production of all the wooden columns, beams, and elements took only seven weeks at the factory.
The assembly of the Pavilion at the construction site was quick. It took only ten days, thanks to the lightweight wooden elements. Additionally, the great workability of Kerto LVL brought rapidness to the process. Puurakentajat was responsible for the construction.
The connections of the Metsä Pavilion are designed so that the building can be disassembled and assembled again at a new location.
Sustainably from Finnish forests
The raw materials for the Kerto LVL used in the Metsä Pavilion comes from sustainably managed Finnish forests where the forests grow more than they are used. Every part of each tree is used in the best possible way, therefore almost nothing goes to waste. By-products like sawdust and bark are utilised, for example, as bioenergy in the production of Kerto LVL.
As with all wood products, Kerto LVL stores carbon throughout the whole lifespan of the buildings built with it.
An end-result to be proud of
The Metsä Pavilion has met the expectations of Business Finland and Metsä Wood. The pavilion is proof that stylish buildings can be constructed efficiently from prefabricated wooden elements. "Historically, the pavilion is one of the biggest investments Business Finland has made in the Japanese market. It is also a great way to contribute to the success of the games, and the Japanese really respect it", says Tulensalo from Business Finland.
Read how the Metsä Pavilion was constructed and watch the video where the professionals share their thoughts on Metsä Pavilion.
Images and videos: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/Rw99dNpKTzDS
Previous press releases about Metsä Pavilion:
7.5.2020 Metsä Pavilion – rapid construction with wooden elements
27.2.2020 Metsä Pavilion brings construction professionals around the same table
27.11.2019 Wooden Metsä Pavilion – Designing the optimal structure for a unique building
25.9.2019 Wood’s journey – sustainably from Finnish forests to downtown Tokyo
29.4.2019 Elegant Metsä Pavilion – Finnish wooden architecture in Tokyo
5.2.2019 A wooden Metsä pavilion in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic Games
For more information, please contact:
Viivi Kylämä, Marketing Manager, Metsä Wood
tel. +358 40 820 9850, viivi.kylama@metsagroup.com
For press information in UK, please contact:
Matt Trace, Director, Defero Communications
tel. 07828663988, matt@deferouk.co.uk
Metsä Wood
www.metsawood.com
Metsä Wood is one of the leading European producers of engineered wood products. Metsä Wood is committed to serving construction, industrial and distribution customer with competitive and environmentally friendly wood products. Metsä Wood’s products include Kerto® LVL, plywood and other wood products.
Metsä Wood's sales in 2019 were EUR 0.4 billion, and currently employing approximately 1,500 people. Metsä Wood is part of Metsä Group.
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