Inventory of Timber in Finnish Residential Houses

To better understand the reuse and recycling potential of timber available within buildings, this paper creates an inventory of timber used in the construction of building typologies in Finland by analysing the technical documents of twenty typical houses and suggesting timber components that might be the best for reuse and recycling.
The analysis showed that Finnish buildings contain timbers that could be reused and recycled. This highlights an opportunity and a need for the development of guidance on the principles and strategies for design for deconstruction and reuse. It was also determined that due to the design of these buildings, it is currently uneconomic to extract the timber components intact, even if they could be reused or repurposed. By making only minor changes to existing design, construction, and demolition practices, significant possibilities for reusing and recycling may be generated, adding value to timber, and reducing the demand for virgin wood.