Sami Pajunen: Investing in design is the key to tapping into the full potential of wood as a building material
“Through my research, I am able to influence the direction in which timber construction is heading and the types of design methods and structural solutions that will be used in the future,” Pajunen says.
According to Pajunen, the benefits of building with wood include, among other things, sustainability and lightness, which means that large elements can be prefabricated to speed up construction. However, when building with wood it is essential to place a special emphasis on careful planning and design to meet the special requirements concerning acoustics, vibration, fire safety, moisture, joints and the long-term performance of wood structures.
“Wood construction is a field of research with enormous potential. Even on a global scale, the construction industry is undergoing a transformation and timber construction is finally taking off. We are now at the acceleration phase, where major steps forward can be taken with the help of research-based knowledge,” Pajunen points out.
Pajunen says that a range of social, political and market-based factors and mechanisms play a part in governing the growth in timber construction – but ultimately they all rely on evidence-based knowledge.
“This is where the research carried out at Tampere University will prove invaluable.”
