A conversation with Mārtiņš Štrauss, a construction contractor, and Kārlis Mičulis, an architect

People talk about wooden buildings in both the present and past tense. Is this the first wooden structure you are designing and planning together?

K.M.: I have previously collaborated on a joint project with “Skonto būve”. It was a design concept in Stockholm – a residential building (two three-storey buildings) and five- and six-storey apartment buildings made from prefabricated panels. The project can be viewed and found online.

Historically, it is clear that during the long Soviet years, Latvia’s local building traditions were dismantled or considered unsuitable for those times. More than 50% of Latvia’s territory is covered by timber resources (forests), which we do not use in everyday construction. When I worked in Zurich (Switzerland), I saw that ice rinks, railway stations, and residential buildings there are made of solid wood. It seemed absurd that we in Latvia do not use our own timber this way. Consequently, it was an intuitive thought: we need to return to local construction traditions. Timber can be used for more than just “exporting as cheap pulpwood” to Sweden alone. In my opinion, much of our local timber is simply ground up or burned instead of being used more productively and sustainably. I met Mārtiņš, and he already had the idea for wooden office buildings.

M.Š.: I think it is a psychological (mindset) problem – wood means firewood, which means... Fears about fire safety that are not really justified. Quite the contrary – under the influence of fire, wood chars and retains its structural integrity for a long time compared to other materials.

Perhaps it is not as important whether it is wood, concrete or steel. I bought the plot of land “with the project included”. I will not have to invest in a new project, and I will avoid the battle against windmills. I could easily build a concrete building; I have worked with that material. Why did I choose the more difficult path – a wooden building? To change the mindset! Or at least to make a start... No one has to prove whether wood is a better or worse material... Local people in Soviet times developed deep-seated ways of thinking and principles: wood equals firewood, wood equals firewood. Kārlis already mentioned the break in tradition and the need to return “to the roots, to the beginning”. We have taken a step. Look – the first project, a pioneer! We will use innovations created by RTU, there will be generators in the floor, we will apply the work of LLU scientists... We will build it, and we will be able to tell and show – this is the work of Latvian professionals! A joint effort! With Kārlis, we visited Norway, Estonia, Austria and Germany, and saw major sites. There are plenty of specialists in the timber sector in Latvia – I won't repeat the size of our forest-covered territory. We can act wisely and act in a way that others learn from us! We have the resources in Latvia! We do not need metal from the Urals, which involves extra costs and transport. The material is available in sufficient quantities right here. We must end the “firewood philosophy” and the outdated principles of thinking. While visiting Norway, we visited a construction site (an 85 m high wooden building) and saw that there were Latvians working on the site! I think more than a few will take notice if they are told: “Come back, build in Latvia!”

I would like to urge people not to focus only on the building under construction, but to look at the change in philosophy – the “firewood generation” is ceasing to exist, and a “new one” is arriving with the idea of wood in construction! We invite back the specialists who are working and building elsewhere. Latvian professionals work abroad on tall wooden structures; they are experienced... And we want to build a five-storey building in Latvia. For a start!

Kārlis has followed and observed the requirements introduced by the authors of the regulations, step by step, letter by letter. The regulations have been studied “down to the last detail”, and everything will be observed in the project. We will submit the project for approval, but... We have already mentioned the mindset and its principles. If the evaluators and reviewers think: “It’s firewood... ????” If the project complies with both the spirit and the letter, I see no reason for it not to be approved. The beautiful and loud phrase causes concerns: “The first, the first ones!”

K.M.: Mārtiņš already mentioned – we have established and continue to hope for good cooperation with Latvian specialists and scientists (“Silava”, RTU, LLU), who, through their work, contribute and will continue to contribute to the design and construction of wooden buildings. It is good to use local resources! Andris Šutko, for example, has found hydro-nano-generators that can be integrated into the building floor and could generate electricity. There is an idea to use this technology in our building too. Of course, technical issues need to be resolved, such as exactly how to integrate them (the generators) into the floor and what the conditions for their use would be.

We are also hoping for cooperation with LLU scientists who have developed a mineral additive for paints, so that the paint does not affect (interfere with) the wood structure. Here, the question of fire safety is important.

I have studied and delved into both Latvian building codes and fire safety requirements. The biggest problems (obstacles) could be posed by the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), which will commission the building. We have strictly complied with what is prescribed. A simulation for the building’s evacuation has been developed, as well as fire load calculations – specifically, how long (in how many seconds) the building would burn under direct fire. We will prove that for 60 minutes, the wooden structures, floor slabs and columns will retain their load-bearing capacity, and people will have time to evacuate. We have made preparations; we need to start the coordination process. Our first contact with a VUGD representative at a fire safety seminar was a surprise – “Why wood, why so high?”

On the one hand, there are building codes; on the other, an experimental method that helps prove non-standard structural solutions. I learned this from the Norwegians, who, during a simulation, proved that during a potential fire, people have time to evacuate and the structure retains its stability. We have not reached that stage yet, but even the physical load can be tested under the influence of direct fire load – by putting all the numbers and indicators together, one can see how many millimetres burn off in one minute.

M.Š.: The further progress of the project is undoubtedly important. In my opinion, if we have fulfilled the standards set by the authors of the law, and if the building complies with them, there is no reason to think that there could be grounds to refuse construction and commissioning. In the world, they are building 18–20-storey wooden buildings; we will start with five. It is very important for us to show – wood exists, and you can build with it!

What type of timber is planned for the project implementation?

K.M.: The structure is a two-span frame system – glued columns (40x220 mm) and glued beams (600 mm and 220 mm). For the floor slabs, we will use CLT (cross-laminated timber boards) and for the facade – wood-based panels. The raw materials will be industrially prepared and assembled on the construction site. To speak in more detail, we hope to use local plywood manufacturers for the interior and exterior finishing. We plan to use birch plywood for the perimeter (outer) shell and coniferous materials for the interior. In our calculations, we took into account the fact that the plot of land where the building is intended to be is small – 1070 m2. The building’s configuration, therefore, also slightly “gives in” to the size and shape of the plot. International practice and experience in timber construction show that if planning has been effective and successful, the process can be performed 5–15% more cost-effectively.

M.Š.: These 5–15% do not appear in direct costs – parts, materials and such, because concrete or other material will be cheaper. In the case of a wooden building – you have the plot of land, the ready-made materials are delivered, assembled with the help of a crane, and put together (like Lego). The benefit – “conventional” construction would take 18–24 months. In our case, it is planned (as Kārlis says) to assemble (build) it in three months.

K.M.: It should be added that laying the foundation and starting is a different technological process, but – when the foundations are ready – construction would take three months! Of course, a lot will depend on how accurately the structural manufacturers have followed the design. For example, electrical sockets have a designated place, and they must be there when the structure is taken to the “construction site”.

I will add: building a multi-storey wooden building requires a longer planning and preparation time. The architecture of the building’s structure and the engineering networks are developed in a 3D system and are integrated. This helps avoid surprises during construction, which often artificially increase the cost of a project. We want to control costs and the final result of the project as much as possible. That requires extra planning and precise coordination with manufacturers. In return, there will be greater control and a guarantee of the result.

Is there a known reasoned explanation for why traditions disappeared and were absent during the so-called “Soviet” years?

K.M.: Of course, there was a certain kind of policy. In the Soviet country, industrial development (industrialization) began, and construction associated with the industry – primarily reinforced concrete structures, reinforced concrete manufacturing and residential buildings. In a way, this also changed people’s lifestyles – life in the homesteads common for many Latvians was disrupted, and people were driven into (settled in) large multi-apartment buildings, in small Soviet-type flats. This undoubtedly affected the demographic process – cramped conditions are not the style that local people are used to or accept. This direction started by the state at that time affected many life situations, both politics, economy and architecture. If we look at our neighbours who were not affected by the Soviet lifestyle – the Finns, Norwegians, Swedes – the traditions of wooden architecture have been preserved, and we in Latvia are now trying to return to the qualities of architecture.

M.Š.: Adding about history – the project includes several flagpoles. For these, we have planned to use Pinus rigensis... Once upon a time, we were famous for our excellent, towering mast pines. Our pines are such a material! Both historically and now! Currently, it is not highlighted and people don't say: “Riga pines!” The sound is: “Firewood, logs...” By our building, the Riga pine will be visible!

An important matter – who could carry out the construction work?

M.Š.: We have talked to and approached Skonto būve and Merck, which could be the general contractors. If the project starts being talked about more and becomes more widely known, I assume the number of interested parties will increase.

The site for the building is intended near Biķernieki forest. What was there first – the location or the idea for a wooden building?

M.Š.: Kārlis and I met at a “business breakfast”. We talked about this and that, and started talking about the need for an office of our own (for me). After these types of conversations, the breakfast participants once remarked – we are all entrepreneurs, let’s build an office building for ourselves! That was the beginning; the spring of 2018. The idea “settled”, and after a while, I was driving past Biķernieki forest; I saw a poster – “Land for sale”. I bought it. The plot of land “came with” a project for a multi-storey concrete building. I told Kārlis that there is land and “let’s make something good”. I did not want concrete because I am “fed up” with it. Since I also have training as a carpenter and joiner, wood is close to me as a material. Kārlis also suggested wood. We were together at a conference in Tallinn, and we were in Garmisch-Partenkirchen – a world-class gathering of architects. We heard stories about buildings. For example, an Australian architect boasted about his many-thousand-square-metre wooden buildings (in Australia, they have “favourable” regulations). Kārlis, being very interested in the progress of the idea, one could say, “bothered” the audience with questions he wanted to understand and clarify. Besides, if our project succeeds, we will have experience, but... we have five floors planned, while elsewhere there are ten, twenty. Other volumes.