Construction Work · Wood Program Project
Helsinki University of Technology · Finland
As part of the Wood Program at Helsinki University of Technology, the project team undertook the renovation of a birch bark roof and reconstruction of rail fences on the Pien-Toijola farm.
This traditional Finnish farm is located on an island in the Riistina parish, in the Eastern Finnish lake district, where the Toijonen family has practiced farming since 1672. The Pien-Toijola farmhouses illustrate the different building methods and styles from the seventeenth century up to the second half of the twentieth century. Finnish farm compounds typically consist of several family residences and their various associates storehouses. The project work included the renovation of the horse stable roof and the reconstruction of rail fences which connect the main yard to the sauna and the servant’s house.
New building materials were used to replace decayed elements, yet the restoration followed traditional Finnish construction methods of woodcutting, beam joining, and waterproofing, and contributed towards an ongoing maintenance programme.