Open Source Wood Challenge

Architecture students participating in EASA 2020 (the European Architecture Student Assembly’s two-week summer workshop) were challenged to create a concept for a wooden multi-storey building using the elements 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.

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 off-site construction. The project is a viable alternative to traditional housing, proposing a co-operative building model that 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,” said the head of the competition jury Jussi Björman, Director, Business Development Construction, at Metsä Wood. “You can create complex projects and floorplans from simple standard-size modules, which are constructed from prefabricated elements and assembled on-site.”

The winners Dalton and Vickerman said: “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.”

See the winner here bit.ly/OSWwinners or visit opensourcewood.com to see all the design entries.