Finnish Design Homes

The Finnish population has evolved in close connection with nature. In a country filled with countless lakes and dense spruce forests, its inhabitants have learned to integrate nature into their daily lives, especially in home design.

Finnish design homes have become the benchmark for eco-friendly timber constructions, with their models being exported throughout Europe.

It is true that not everything is exportable, and a Finnish design home conceived for a Nordic climate cannot be built in a Mediterranean climate without adapting its construction systems and energy efficiency to our climate and lifestyle.

However, we can export their spirit, based on the use of natural materials, light colors, natural light, and, of course, the use of wood as a natural element in projects.

On several occasions, we have received feedback in the studio from clients or friends who feel that the type of projects we develop at Slow Studio are reminiscent of the Nordic style, due to the conception of warm, bright spaces and our commitment to functional, ecological, and healthy architecture.

Just as in Scandinavian countries, at Slow Studio we establish very clear criteria regarding architecture, such as prioritizing sustainability and closely linking it to design and construction.

Let’s look in detail at what it means to build Finnish design homes in terms of ecology and how to put it into practice.

What are the key factors for building Finnish design homes?

ECOLOGY

Finland is a country where over 75% of its surface is covered by forests, in addition to legislative policies that implement reforestation programs to ensure their renewal and protection.

For this reason, its inhabitants, living in a constant relationship with nature, are very mindful of ecology in their daily lives, starting with their homes. Finnish design homes always begin with integration into their immediate surroundings, along with the use of natural and renewable materials, such as wood.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Alongside ecology and sustainability, Finnish architecture greatly enhances the energy efficiency of its constructions to maximize the use of natural resources and reduce energy losses, due to the country’s extreme climate.

For this reason, we find many passive house constructions and, in particular, examples that meet the Passivhaus standard.

They feature elements such as the use of over 30 cm of thermal insulation and the strategic placement of openings to capture solar radiation in winter and ventilate and cool the environment in summer.

FUNCTIONALITY

Above all, Finnish design homes aim to be functional, as a home must meet the needs of the family occupying it and must be, first and foremost, comfortable and practical.

The ecological homes found in Finland feature clear, human-scale structures, along with ergonomic design elements to maximize user comfort.

SIMPLICITY

Finally, it is worth noting that simplicity predominates in Finnish design homes. Due to the country’s extreme climatic conditions, dry and quick-to-execute constructions are proposed.

This leads architects to design homes with spatial richness and simple, clear construction solutions. The use of wood is very positive in this regard, as it allows for a wide range of proposals, from structural level to final finishes, thanks to the versatility of this material.

Examples of Finnish Design Homes

Below, we will look at some examples of Finnish design homes that stand out for applying these values of ecological and healthy architecture.

Wood: the material par excellence for building Finnish design homes

Finnish design homes have their own characteristics, one of which is the use of wood as the main material. In Nordic countries, it is very clear that wood offers a multitude of advantages, especially in the ecological sphere.

SUSTAINABILITY

As we have already mentioned, we are talking about a natural, recyclable material with minimal energy consumption, leading a green alternative that respects the environment.

Furthermore, wood offers a great number of ecological advantages due to its CO₂ absorption properties throughout its growth process. Once installed in construction, its ecological balance is negative, meaning it has absorbed more CO₂ during its life than was emitted during its transport and construction.

RESISTANCE

Is wood a sufficiently resistant material to build an ecological house?

The answer is a resounding yes, as currently the use of wood goes far beyond cladding or final finishes, being applied in structural elements of different types, from light frames to self-supporting panels or long laminated trusses and beams.

The manufacturing of glulam and microlam wood has greatly improved its resistance to bending, tension, and compression, as well as reducing applicable sections, thus decreasing weight and material consumption.

HYGROTHERMAL COMFORT

Finally, let’s not forget the excellent thermal qualities of wood, which ensure unbeatable home comfort thanks to this material being natural and also acting as a humidity regulator and absorbing CO₂, as mentioned earlier.

Is it possible to build ecological wooden design homes in Spain?

Many clients ask us if it is truly viable to build ecological wooden homes in Spain, using locally sourced raw materials and good construction techniques. The answer is yes!

Indeed, in Spain until recently, wood was identified as a weak and poor material. However, in recent years this trend has changed course, and there are increasingly more companies and research and development laboratories for wood as a construction material, as well as sawmills that work with wood from forests in the Pyrenees and southern France.

This is the case of the company Fustes Sebastia, one of the main timber construction companies collaborating with our studio, which works with pine and spruce wood from local forests.

These are forest exploitations located in the Catalan Pyrenees or southern France that allow for obtaining local wood to build ecological wooden homes.

While in Finnish design homes we could observe large structural elements, in this case we will opt for smaller constructive elements since we are talking about forests with smaller trees than in Nordic countries.

There is always the option of importing wood from Central European or Nordic forests for large structures, although in this regard we must be aware of the ecological footprint that its transport entails.