Urban Adaptation competition winners introduce ideas for flexible and sustainable urban construction

HELSINKI,March 2,2021 -- The Urban Adaptation competition challenged architects and students from around the world to design an innovative modular wood design for a public building or a building system that easily adapts to the changing needs of the community. The competition,organised by Metsä Group,Aalto University and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment,proved a success – it received a total of 154 entries from 48 countries!

2 urban adaptation winners

The results of the Urban Adaptation competition show how modular construction using engineered wood products like Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) enables adaptable,sustainable and cost-competitive construction.

"We've seen many interesting entries,with sites located across the world,showing how universally applicable a modular wooden system can be," says Rahel Belatchew,Chief Architect and founder ofBelatchewArkitekter,Sweden. The other member of the jury was Minna Riska,Architect and partner at MDH Arkitekter,Norway.

The entries were evaluated anonymously. In addition to visual and functional criteria,the designs needed to show (1.) adaptability,(2.) modularity and (3.) sustainability. Here are the winners:

1st prize EUR15,000: S M L XL,by Francesco Allaix and Julio Orduña,Finland

2nd prize: EUR5,000: Zerno,by Alexandra Chislavleva,Sergey Ogorodnikov and Xenia Yakimenko,Russia

Honourable mention: Modu-Rot,by Onur Karataş,Alp Fahri Ardıç and Muhammed Yasin Gülmez,Turkey

The winning design,S M L XL,introduces a multipurpose building that incorporates 4 different floor heights,allowing different spaces that are optimised for hosting various functions.

"We are delighted to see how much interest the competition received. This is a good way to spread the understanding of the possibilities of efficient and environmentally friendly construction using engineered wood products," says Jussi Björman,Director,Business Development,Construction at Metsä Wood.

Visit http://www.urbanadaptation.com to see the winning designs.

Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/thhMSDHCHHQb

For more information,please contact:

Viivi Kylämä,Marketing Manager,Metsä Wood

tel. +358 40 820 9850,viivi.kylama@metsagroup.com

Metsä Wood

www.metsawood.com

Metsä Wood is one of the leading European producers of engineered wood products. Metsä Wood is committed to serving construction,industrial and distribution customer withcompetitive and environmentally friendly wood products. Metsä Wood's products include Kerto® LVL,plywood and other wood products.

Metsä Wood's sales in 2019 were EUR 0.4 billion,and currently employing approximately 1,500 people. Metsä Wood is part of Metsä Group.