NITTA breaks new ground with architects’ mission

In a ground-breaking initiative the Northern Ireland Timber Trade Association (NITTA) took a group of architects on a fact-finding mission to Finland last week.

NITTA chairman Maurice Brooks said: “We wanted to show architects timber in situ and as Finland is a mecca for timber it made sense to go there.”

The trip was sponsored by UPM-Kymmene and Finnforest, and backed by Wood Focus Finland – the country’s timber promotional and research organisations whose shareholders include forest industry companies.

The tour started in Lahti with a visit to a modern housing development of timber construction, followed by a trip to Sibelius Hall, one of Finland’s great architectural timber masterpieces.

Also on the agenda were visits to a sports complex, a glulam factory, a timber bridge, a log housing company, the Tuusula housing fair and Finnforest’s factory which manufactures LVL and ThermoWood.

Mr Brooks said: “We tried to pull together as interesting a programme as possible incorporating timber architecture, timber construction and engineered wood processing techniques.

“We wanted to find a way to open the architects’ eyes to timber and its use and make them realise it isn’t just sawn timber but there are a whole lot of developments within engineered timber which is a modern construction material.

“This is a very long-term project – there is going to be no quick return – and the big challenge now is to ensure the products seen in Finland are made available in Northern Ireland.”

Ciaran Mackel, president of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects, said: “We all learnt from this trip and it will be a big influence on our way of working. The vessels from which we draw inspiration have been filled again.”

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