Wood for the future
Norwegian engineers, designers and architects are now rediscovering and inventing new ways of using this versatile, renewable and extremely flexible material, which even can withstand hurricanes and drastic changes in climate.
"We think that timber is the right material for the green transition in the building industry. It's beautiful, and it's a very sustainable and environmentally friendly solution," says Siv Helene Stangeland, partner and creative director at Helen & Hard architects.
Their firm has designed both the award-winning Vennesla library and the stunning Finansparken office building, to mention just a few of their commissions.
"Timber is also an organic material that connects us to nature and has a tactile quality. It smells good, it provides very good acoustics in the room, and it has a certain effect on us – it calms us down. Wood architecture therefore has the potential to give us a better life," adds Stangeland.
Since 2000, Innovation Norway has spearheaded initiatives and played an important role in supporting the development of new and innovative ways of using wood in construction.
And the results are beautiful. Projects from bridges, shopping centres, and airports to sports halls, office buildings, and student housing, to bird watching huts, and some truly amazing residences and cabins have been built in wood. Not to mention some spectacular viewpoints and rest areas along the Norwegian Scenic Routes.
There is now a boom in new wooden construction plans.