Pro Nemus – Metsä Group’s visitor center

In this completely wood constructed building, designers and industrialists sought solutions that were suitable for industrial construction but did not impede the architect’s hands. We wanted to make Pro Nemus a showroom for the Finnish forest, where the wood is visible and felt in all the details of the building, says architect Ulla Passoja of UKI Architects. For a young generation of architects, building with wood is a matter of heart. They want to design architecture that incorporates the forest in a sustainable way and find new solutions made possible by innovative wooden construction products.

Pro Nemus represents the tip of modern wood construction in Finland. Modernity will be highlighted in the sculpted form of the building through basis of design and innovative material selections. The design endeavors to incorporate the wood in  all the design’s surfaces. The 42 mm thick and nearly 300 mm wide, exquisite Siparila Topcoat exterior siding is a significant element of the building’s appearance. The prefinished wood siding made of glued wood has the advantage of hidden clamping, which improves the weather resistance of the façade as the piling rods that could collect water are hidden. The most important criteria for choosing an exterior finishing solution are durability and aesthetics. We cut the size, profile and surface treatment of the outer sheath panel in close cooperation with Siparila. It was especially important for us to keep the feel of a genuine wood in the exterior.