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The future of wooden architecture will transform apartment buildings into carbon reservoirs. Students' visions illustrate how multi-story wooden buildings can be beautiful, sustainable, and adaptable. Responsible wooden construction is a climate action, as the carbon stored in wood can remain in a building for centuries. Inside, wood also regulates moisture and has a naturally high surface temperature, reducing the need for air conditioning and heating.

In Finland, four out of five single-family homes are built of wood, but in apartment buildings, the share is less than five percent. More versatile use of wood requires new skills and a change in attitudes. Increasing wooden construction also represents a significant economic opportunity for Finland, as the market for this sector is already worth 65 billion euros in Europe, and it is expected to double in the future.

The works of the Wood Architecture Studio and the Wood Program 2024 demonstrate how diverse, multi-layered wooden buildings could look. All the solutions share a commitment to responsible material use and smart design. Future wooden buildings will be long-lasting and adaptable; they can be repaired, and when they reach the end of their life, their parts can be reused in new buildings.

"Favoring wood as a construction material for apartment buildings would significantly reduce emissions from the entire construction sector," summarizes Professor of Practice Pekka Heikkinen.