ELIGE MADERA Wooden Cities Timber buildings have become an emerging trend around the world, particularly in Finland - a country that is committed to wood as a lifestyle. Timber buildings have become an emerging trend around the world, particularly in Finland - a country that is committed to wood as a lifestyle. Timber can be found all over the streets of Helsinki, a Finnish city that has found CLT to be a constructive and sustainable building option. This construction trend has been well received throughout the country, by a population who are already used to wooden country houses and summer cabins. It’s also not surprising the locals have such a bond with wood in a country that is 75% covered with forests. In addition to their prevalent use of wood, among the European country's goals is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. With this in mind, the government has proposed a wood building program aiming for at least 45% of public buildings to use timber as a primary material by 2025. A common concern for timber project builders is the material's behavior in a fire. However, "there’s a lot of evidence that CLT performs well in fires," says Miimu Airaksinen, engineer and Vice President of Development at the construction company SRV. CLT has proven its resistance to heat exposure, registering a fire tolerance of 30 to 120 minutes, even longer than steel and concrete. On the other hand, wood provides other benefits; from the ease and speed of construction to the reduction of waste and the low emission of greenhouse gases in its production. It’s also important to mention that wood continues to capture CO2 from the atmosphere. According to the BBC website, it’s estimated that if 80% of new buildings in Europe were built with wood, they could store up to 55 million tons of carbon dioxide per year - equivalent to half the emissions of the cement industry. In the heart of Helsinki, a new neighborhood has appeared with hundreds of wooden buildings. Already known as the "Wooden City", this initiative is not only in the public sector; several private companies, apartments and commercial buildings have joined the timber trend. Supercell, a video game company based in Helsinki, exhibits huge, carved wooden statues of their creations in their new building: an architectural work with 8 floors of solid wood, including offices, open spaces, cafeterias and break rooms. The cybersecurity company WithSecure also has plans for the construction of a new office steps away from their former building. The project is under the direction of SRV and Stora Enso. Another of the city's attractions is Löyly, a wooden restaurant and sauna complex; the architecture has won several global awards for its distinctive mantle shape. Today, the SRV company is working on the construction of a 5-story wooden school in Helsinki, with CLT panels cladding the interior and exterior of the building. With thought to potential fire risk, limestone plasterboard has been used to give extra protection to the walls of the upper floors. The CLT market is valued at $806 million USD, according to Fortune Business Insights, which forecasts 14% growth by 2028. Undoubtedly the future of sustainable cities is getting closer and wooden innovation is reaching new heights that help us to counteract the world’s ecological footprint.