Finnish delegation visits Ickburgh School

Senior Government representatives of the Finnish city of Espoo (Finland’s 2^nd largest) visited London as part of a fact-finding mission to better understand the use of timber as a structural element in public buildings. In the context of Finland’s strong design tradition and extensive use of timber in building, the delegation were interested to learn about up-to-date cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction techniques as demonstrated in Ickburgh School by Avanti, one of the largest CLT structures being built in the UK.

Amir Ramezani, director of Avanti, spoke to the 28-strong delegation at an event hosted at the Building Centre and conducted a tour of Ickburgh School as it enters its final months of a tight construction programme. The benefits of CLT construction were discussed, including accelerated build programme, precise off-site manufacturing and sustainability.