Research

New Standards presents the history and legacy of Puutalo Oy (Timber Houses Ltd.)

The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early 20th century American life. By 1908, one-fifth of Americans were subscribers. Anyone anywhere in the country could order a copy for free, look through it, and then have anything their heart desired delivered directly to their doorstep. At its peak, the Sears catalog

A short documentary made in 1948 about Puutalo Oy (Timber Houses Ltd.), which was a Finnish industrial enterprise established in 1940 to house war refugees and expanded quickly into a worldwide exporter of prefabricated wooden houses. From 1940 to 1956, Puutalo shipped 15 million square meters of buildings, around 300,000 houses, to more than 50 countries around the world, helping to define a new standard of living in the post-war era. The documentary shows how easily and quickly the prefabricated house was erected. The Pavilion of Finland’s exhibition at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2021, titled "New Standards", will explore the history of the often overlooked but internationally significant Puutalo consortium. The exhibition will demonstrate how combining forces can result in finding permanent solutions in a crisis. (c) Yle – the Finnish Broadcasting Company Original video at YLE Areena: https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2015/11/20/nyt-valmistamme-talon