National nature centre to be the first Finnish public building constructed of cross-laminated timber
Stora Enso Wood Products’ Building Solutions unit will take a significant step forward in introducing new cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction technique by participating in the construction of The Finnish Nature Centre Haltia in Espoo. The centre will be the first Finnish public building constructed using the CLT element technique. This project will also strengthen Stora Enso’s position as a provider of load-bearing wood constructions in the Finnish market.
“From the customer’s perspective high quality CLT elements can be tailored to custom sizes and made ready for rapid installation to reduce construction times and costs. The density of the finished structures also considerably enhances the energy efficiency of buildings. In addition to environmental values our solution will enable the customer to begin the critical work indoors, such as floor casting, significantly earlier,” says Hannu Kasurinen, EVP, Stora Enso Wood Products.
“In recent years we have been focusing on developing our Building Solutions business through investments, product development and acquisitions. The Finnish Nature Centre and a new Ikea outlet in Kuopio in Eastern Finland, for which we are also providing wood-based ceiling elements, are two major examples demonstrating that we are going in the right direction and that there is strong demand for our building solutions in our existing markets in Central Europe as well as in Finland,” says Hannu Kasurinen.
The outlook for CLT-based solutions remains excellent, and Stora Enso aims to continue growing together with its customers in the future.
“Our new production unit, due to start operating at Ybbs Sawmill in Austria during the first quarter of 2012, will strengthen our position both in established markets in single-family homes in Central and Western Europe, and especially in public sector and multi-storey construction projects,” adds Kasurinen.
Stora Enso Wood Products and the Stora Enso subsidiary Eridomic Oy are providing all constructions above ground for the national nature centre Haltia which will feature the best of Finland’s wildlife and landscapes. The 5 200 square metres of materials to be supplied include exterior and interior wall elements, intermediate floor CLT elements, glulam structures, and roof elements. Haltia is due to open to the public at the beginning of 2013. Cross-laminated timber board was chosen for the centre’s load-bearing constructions right from the start, since the objective was to make the building as environmentally friendly as possible. The project’s main construction contractor is YIT.
A new Ikea department store due to open in summer 2012 in Kuopio, will include 25 000 square metres of roof elements produced by Eridomic. The production and installation of these elements will begin in September.
For further information, please contact:
Hannu Kasurinen, EVP, Stora Enso Wood Products, tel. +358 2046 21222
Matti Mikkola, SVP, Building Solutions, Stora Enso Wood Products, tel. +358 2046 21710
Päivi Kauhanen, Communications Director, tel. +358 2046 21292
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Stora Enso is the global rethinker of the packaging, paper and wood products industry. We always rethink the old and expand to the new to offer our customers innovative solutions based on renewable materials. Stora Enso employs some 26 000 people worldwide, and our sales in 2010 amounted to EUR 10.3 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY) in the International OTCQX over-the-counter market.
STORA ENSO OYJ