New Standards: Timber Houses Ltd 1940 – 1945

‘New Standards’ examines the conditions that affect standard, industrial, and manufactured buildings by revisiting a forgotten chapter of wood construction in post-war Finland. Puutalo Oy (Timber Houses Ltd.) was established in 1940 as part of Finland’s response to the war refugee crisis. The company quickly became one of the largest manufacturers of prefabricated wooden buildings – tens of thousands were shipped from Finland to every inhabited continent, constructing a largely overlooked legacy of housing and urbanization. A new perspective on this legacy is given through careful analysis of these buildings and projects as they emerged from a rapidly changing political landscape.