This is now Europe’s tallest wooden office building (5 stories) by finnforest & Helin & Co. It is a building that basically showcases finnforests latest products basically a brochure in built form, which unfortuneately is all it seems to be. The interesting thing about this building is the structure, columns, beams even floor panels, as well as the cladding system is in wood. It surely exceeds some finnish industry environmental measures but is this just because a little extra insulation was used in its construction? Neither does it apparently have any eco friendly add ons such as water recycling like the Welsh Assembly which is glass and concrete. While its basement and ground slab is traditional poured concrete so I would guess the ratio of concrete in this building is only slightly less than a concrete frame and about the same as a steel frame and what is the relative cost in time to construct this type of building?- nothing is said. So no advantages have so far been shown for this form of construction above other methods. Neither did this building get into the round up of Finnish Wooden Architecture. It seems at least that this is an opportunity missed for a truly experimental reference project. Helin & Co its designers have no more information, they have a webaddress but no website which is a great pity as this office is Finlands pre-eminent architectural office at the moment (I’ll post about this in the future). Anyway its right beside the building my new Finnish course is in so I’ll upload some snaps of this building soon.