The Re-emergence of wood as a key construction material : A study on consumer perceptions and attitudes in Finland

Abstract

Wood use is re-emerging in modern construction. Wooden high-rise residential buildings accounted for a 6% market share in 2015. Surveys conducted in the EU show, that percep-tions and attitudes vary, with fire resistance and durability listed as top concerns, and in-herent environmental and health properties listed as key benefits. The objective was to gain an understanding of the profile of end users interested in this topic as to gain a sense of direction with regards to certain key issues relating to percep-tions and attitudes towards wood use in different scenarios. A survey was implemented using a deductive approach based on theoretical framework gathered from secondary data. A semi-structured questionnaire was implemented with 121 participants, 119 of them valid responses. Most of the respondents view wood as a suitable construction material positively in differ-ent scenarios. However, wood was considered least suitable for high-rise residential build-ings. Factors such as age and external influence (news or research reports) correlated with willingness to live in wooden low-rise residences and views on wood’s suitability as a con-struction material in different scenarios. They did not correlate with people’s willingness to live in wood constructed high-rise residential buildings. Health, durability and cozy and comfortable living space were ranked among the most important attributes relating to choice of construction material, whereas easy mainte-nance, good acoustics and modernity were chosen as the least important. Attributes cho-sen by the respondents as important hold great practical value. Attitudes towards high-rise wooden buildings are diverse and it shows the uncertainty of demand for high-rise wooden residential buildings even in Finland.