The First Open Source Wood Hackathon in France Created Solutions to Challenging Building Environments

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Metsä Wood organized the first Open Source Wood Hackathon on 13th December in Nantes, France at the Ecole Supérieure du Bois. The challenge was to create an innovative wood element for building design in multidisciplinary teams, mentored by experts. All the solutions participated in Metsä Wood Awards 2017 competition.

Open Source Wood hackathon brought fifteen participants together to generate innovative wood designs using Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber). The hackathon was held in collaboration with the International Institute of Wood Science and Technology (Ecole Supérieure du Bois). The school provides higher education focusing on timber engineering.  

"This is the first Open Source Wood Hackathon, but also a pioneering event in the wood construction industry," explains Mikko Saavalainen, SVP Business Development at Metsä Wood. 

Participants were divided into three teams and challenged with different construction problems. The day resulted in three innovative modular wood solutions. The winning work of the day was named Kert'eau. It is a clever concept of a floating residential neighborhood offering 300 housing units.  Short descriptions of all three concepts can be found from opensourcewood.com/hackathon.

"Engineered wood is the material of the future for urban building. The Open Source Wood Initiative is a great way to promote sustainable building," says Philippe Blanchard, lecturer from Ecole Superieure du Bois.  

By creating an open innovation platform around modular wood construction, Metsä Wood is aiming to connect the local wood construction industry with global knowledge to facilitate innovation, collaboration and growth.

Join the Open Source Wood Initiative

Metsä Wood is calling on all architects and engineers to share their innovations in wood construction. The objective is to share knowledge about prefabricated elements and grow the use of wood in construction. Metsä is now sharing its own innovations and offering EUR 30,000 in prize money during 2017 to exceptional designs.

Read more at opensourcewood.com

Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/rbmHrL6ZSq_m

For more information, please contact:
Henni Rousu
Communications Manager
Metsä Wood,
Tel. +358-40-554-8388
henni.rousu@metsagroup.com

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