Elegant Metsä Pavilion designed of wooden Kerto LVL elements
World-renowned Finnish architect Pekka Helin has designed the wooden Metsä Pavilion on the grounds of the Finnish Embassy in the centre of Tokyo, Japan. The pavilion is to be used by Finnish athletes and companies during the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020. It will be built by Metsä Group in collaboration with Business Finland.
Metsä Pavilion is an example of innovative architecture based on industrially manufactured wooden elements that create an elegant look. The building will be made entirely from Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) elements.
“The starting point for this was not to create anything out of the ordinary or uniquely shaped, but instead to showcase the industrial products’ advantageous use. Consequently, this is made of rather simple parts,” says Helin. “Metsä Pavilion combines ancient Japanese aesthetics and minimalist sophistication. These qualities can also be found here in the north. This was my inspiration as I began to design the Metsä Pavilion.”
Engineered wood products, as construction materials, are durable and environmentally friendly. Kerto LVL is manufactured from a renewable raw material grown in sustainably managed Northern forests. In addition, wood as a building material is a long-term carbon store. Kerto LVL is fast, light and green material to build with.
“Today’s industry enables you to build without any real measurement limitations. And wood can be used to build tremendously grand, large sports centres or industrial halls, for example,” Helin remarks.