Open Source Wood Innovation Award Given to an Active Member

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Jan 23, 2020, 05:11 ET

HELSINKI, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Metsä Wood's Open Source Wood is an initiative to share knowledge and innovations in the field of wood construction between construction professionals globally. The platform's first ever Innovation Award has been presented to engineer and architect Paul Esombi Ekema for his achievements in advancing the idea of Open Source Wood.

Paul Esombi Ekema, owner of Peekplan Architects located in Hamburg, Germany, first got in touch with Open Source Wood when it was launched in 2017 and has been an active member of the community ever since then.

"Open Source Wood has become a meeting point. Interaction there has been really interesting, and I have invited some of my colleagues to join and explore what Metsä Wood offers on the platform."

Globally sharing information about wood construction

Only a fraction (5-10%) of global urban construction is wood, due in part to the fact that the industry is fragmented and local. Metsä Wood believes that there is a need to share knowledge and innovations to help the use of wood in construction to grow. The goal of Open Source Wood is to make professionals from different sides of the construction industry come together globally and rethink the way wood is used as a construction material. Ekema sees that the change is already happening:

"This paradigm shift has been very encouraging," he says. "I am happy to see that people are really starting to rethink which construction materials to use."

Open Source Wood is not just about showing blueprints and presenting thoughts: for example, the technical properties of wood are also discussed. Ekema believes that not enough people know how wood behaves as a material and how durable and flexible it is.

"Selecting materials for construction sometimes depends on how familiar the architect or engineer is with what is available," Ekema says. "Therefore, the platform further enriches and empowers technicians and the wider community to understand materials better."

Award for inspiring performance

Ekema has shared on Open Source Wood his own projects. For example, prefabricated Tiny Wooden Houses M4 and M5 are lightweight, ecological and healthy to live in. It is ideal for people who want to reduce their carbon footprint and scale down their living costs.

"These are just a few of the ideas I wanted to share with other people. I was very inspired by wood as a material, so I would like to give inspiration and ideas to others as well."

Metsä Wood continuously awards Open Source Wood users for their best ideas and actions that promote the platform. How does Ekema feel when presented an award for his activity on Open Source Wood?

"I feel very honoured, very pleased. This Innovation Award is like a huge stamp of approval for my work," Ekema says.

"I want to thank Metsä Wood for the opportunity to show the world my work and all that Peekplan Architects are capable of achieving. Sharing knowledge in wood construction helps to develop new capacities that ensure quality building alternatives, which I am highly committed to."

See all the Open Source Wood Award winners.

Watch a Talking Wood video with Paul Esombi Ekema.

Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/BnFLMT7qbG55

For more information, please contact:

Viivi Kylämä, Marketing Manager, Metsä Wood
tel. +358-40-820-9850, [email protected]

Kirk Nichols, VP Sales, Americas, Metsä Wood USA
mobile: (404)861-1098, [email protected]

For press information in UK, please contact:

Matt Trace, Director, Defero Communications
tel. 07828663988, [email protected]

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SOURCE Metsä Wood