The Change over Time in Finnish Residents’ Attitudes towards Multi-Story Timber Apartment Buildings

Markku Karjalainen,Hüseyin Emre Ilgın

doi:10.3390/su13105501

Abstract

Due to increasing urbanization, the need for sustainable housing, e.g., sustainable timber housing, is increasing in Finland, as in other countries. Understanding residents’ perceptions plays a critical role in the transition to sustainable housing as an important part of the forest-based bioeconomy. This study examined the change over time in Finnish residents’ attitudes towards multi-story timber apartment buildings. To do this, findings from surveys among residents in 1998–1999 and 2017 were compared with each other. Results mainly highlighted that: (1) residents’ attitudes towards timber apartment buildings remained positive over time; (2) participants of both surveys were satisfied with functionality of the apartment unit, immediate surroundings of the building, and number of furnishings and appliances; (3) positive perception regarding sound insulation, indoor climate, and coziness did not change over time; (4) dominant preferences to move to detached and one-or-two story terraced houses gradually gave way to two-story housing and apartment buildings; (5) demand for more timber inside the building and more timber apartments continued over time; and (6) while fire and environmental properties were evaluated positively, impact sound insulation was still seen as a problem. These findings will assist in understanding contemporary housing needs and provide a direction to relevant stakeholders for Finnish housing development.

Highlights

There has been a growing demand for sustainable urban housing due to increased urbanization
Attitudes towards timber as a building material from a multidimensional perspective and its evolution over time between 1998 and 2017. These dimensions include the main factors behind Finnish residents’ perception of their current residence, the difference between living in a timber apartment and living in an apartment built with other materials, the most preferred types of residential buildings to move into, their views on ecological and technical aspects, and their feedback to designers and developers of multi-story timber apartment buildings
This research sought to identify key factors for their perception of their current residence, the difference between living in a timber apartment and living in an apartment built with other materials, the most preferred types of residential buildings to move into, their views on ecological and technical aspects, and their feedback to designers and developers of multi-story timber apartment buildings

Summary

Introduction

There has been a growing demand for sustainable urban housing due to increased urbanization. In this sense, as pioneering, recyclable, and sustainable technologies, (engineered) wood products play a critical role in mitigating construction industry-based carbon emissions [1,2,3] for transition to a sustainable bio-based circular economy [4]. Multi-story timber building development can significantly contribute to meeting the housing need arising from increased urbanization [13]. For residents and other end-users, multi-story timber buildings, for example, appear to lead to general improvements in living environments that affect the overall comfort of modern design uses [14]. The use of timber contributes to the creation of aesthetically pleasing environments and the protection of physical health [15,16]

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