Open Source Wood challenged architecture students participating in the EASA 2020 event – Here’s the winning design
The Open Source Wood initiative challenged the architecture students participating in EASA 2020 to create a concept for a wooden multi-storey building using the element and module designs available on Opensourcewood.com. Metsä Wood’s Open Source Wood initiative is an open collaboration and knowledge-sharing platform for modular wood construction.
EASA (the European Architecture Student Assembly) is a network that organises a two-week workshop event every summer. However, this year the event was partly virtual, and the reduced main event took place in Estonia. Although the ongoing pandemic meant some special arrangements for the EASA event were needed, the digital Open Source Wood competition proved a success: the challenge received six very interesting proposals.“The architecture students had some good ideas that showed what the future of construction might look like. The competition gathered innovative examples of modular wood construction and showcased the use of Open Source Wood elements,” says the head of the competition jury Jussi Björman, Director, Business Development Construction at Metsä Wood.
The evaluation of the competition entries was based on their practicality, viability, innovativeness and efficient use of wood. The winning concept was T-LAB: Timber Laboratory for Co-operative Living by Hannah Dalton and Jack Vickerman. The winners were awarded €3,000.
The concept uses Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) as the main construction material. It is a system of modules and building components that is perfect for offsite construction. The project is a viable alternative to traditional housing, proposing a cooperative building model which allows the benefits of practicality and efficiency to be carried through to the end user.
“The winning proposal is a modular construction system that fits urban environments. With this concept, you can create buildings of different shapes and forms, as well as many of the functions required in today’s construction,” says Björman. “You can create complex projects and floorplans from simple standard-size modules, which are constructed from prefabricated elements and assembled at the construction site.”
The winners appreciate the opportunity to learn more about modular wood construction offered by the challenge: “Timber construction has always had a fundamental place in architecture and construction. We have no doubt that its importance will grow in the future due to its environmental credentials and its versatility in adapting to the industry’s current demands. The Open Source Wood EASA 2020 challenge was a great opportunity to apply knowledge gained from the initiative’s online library of elements,” Dalton and Vickerman state.
See the Open Source Wood challenge winning concept.
Visit opensourcewood.com to see all the competition designs.
Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/ZQrRCPJPwWkb
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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