Industrial Wood Construction for Building Efficiency – Drawing Inspiration from the Ikea Concept

In industrial wood construction, building takes place in a factory environment instead of a construction site, with 60–90% of the work being done indoors. Both multi-storey and single-family houses can be constructed industrially, assembled like Lego bricks from ready-made modules or elements at the building site. Due to the high degree of prefabrication, construction quality and cost-efficiency are better than in traditional construction.
taloelementtien tekoa

A key impact is that the time required for a construction project is significantly reduced in a factory setting. The high level of preparation indoors reduces issues caused by seasonal changes and rainfall, such as moisture problems. Moving construction indoors improves work safety and process control, particularly in terms of material efficiency, reducing waste. Deliveries to the construction site also decrease, minimizing noise and emission disturbances. Standardized solutions enable repeatability and quick project completion. In practice, industrial construction closely resembles the production methods of the automotive industry.

In Finland, construction using modules is a growing trend. This method is typically utilized in the construction of new daycare centers, schools, and temporary facilities. In public buildings, the share of wood construction has been 10–20%. In 2023, the share of wood construction in all construction was approximately 27%. Over 80% of single-family houses are built using wood, but the market share of wooden apartment buildings has been only about 5%. A key challenge has been the lack of a developed market and production capacity at an industrial scale for taller wooden buildings. Thus far, the industrial construction concept has mainly been applied in single-family houses and vacation homes.

Building Houses with the Ikea Concept

Since the 1960s, the main factory of the Swedish Älvsbyhus house manufacturer in Älvsby, northern Sweden, has been producing so-called element houses. This construction method can be referred to as the "Ikea concept," where house packages are well-designed, largely standardized, and repeatable. The price of the house package is also fixed.

Älvsby houses are constructed in large elements that include floors, walls, and ceilings. Everything that can be pre-built in the factory is done there, including electrical installations and HVAC systems. The factory produces three houses per week. The house elements are delivered to the construction site via rail and truck transport. The delivery time from order to a ready-to-live-in house is approximately eight weeks, of which six weeks are spent on production. The goal is to minimize work at the construction site: two people complete the house to move-in condition in two weeks.

Measures to Promote Wood Construction

One of the objectives of the NOHEVA – Low-carbon crisis preparedness from wooden construction and tourism - project has been to promote massive wood construction, i.e., industrial construction based on elements. In a workshop held in December 2024, the future of massive wood construction was discussed. It was unanimously agreed that wood is a renewable, carbon-negative material whose use is expected to grow and attitudes toward wood construction are likely to improve in the future.

The following concrete measures were proposed:

  • Promote hybrid construction (combining wood with steel and concrete) and guide the use of wood already during the design phase.
  • Raise awareness of the benefits of wood construction and new legislation concerning carbon footprint requirements.
  • Advance industrialization in construction by moving work phases to the factory.
  • Invest in research and product development.
  • Enhance collaboration between companies, research institutions, and testing facilities.
  • Improve design and architecture in the value chain of massive wood construction by increasing cooperation between clients, manufacturers, and subcontractors.
  • Highlight the speed and efficiency of modular construction, particularly to decision-makers such as municipal planners.
  • Promote rapid construction to alleviate housing shortages in growth centers, such as the construction of wooden apartment buildings.



Sources (in Finnish):
Ylinen Sauli. Teollisen puurakentamisen toimialaraportti 2024.
PUUINFO (2024)
Hämäläinen Mervi, Jussila Jaakko, Salmi Asta (2021) Elinvoimaa ja kestävyyttä teollisella puurakentamisella. Vaasan yliopiston raportteja 25.

Author: Ulla Lehtinen, D.Sc. (Tech.), Senior Researcher, Project Manager of the NOHEVA Project, University of Oulu Kerttu Saalasti Institute

Photo: Ulla Lehtinen