( CNN ) -- Wood as a building material is having a real comeback in contemporary Scandinavian design . Bent into minimalistic circular structures and sculptural forms , it is used with surprising results thanks to engineering and technical innovations . Offering a wealth of aesthetic possibilities , timber is now being hailed as the concrete of 21st Century . Innovative architectural forms in wood was one of the central themes emerging during the World Design Capital year in Helsinki . As the planet is threatened by an ecological crisis , showcasing and promoting new eco-friendly materials was a valuable objective in the WDC program -- a topic also extended to the Finnish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale . As exhibition designer Esa Vesmanen points out : `` The young generation of architects have taken up wood with an innovative approach , thinking about all its possibilities from a new perspective . '' In Helsinki , at the Aalto University architecture school , a studio in timber design offers students the possibility for a particular focus . A Summer Pavilion for the World Design Capital events was created by a team of students from an initial concept designed by Pyry-Pekka Kantonen . `` As a living material , wood is both challenging and inspiring , '' Kantonen says . The fact that wood is the most eco-friendly building material is an obvious reason for its use , but as Kantonen explains its aesthetic qualities are being rediscovered and appreciated again . In public buildings , such as the Kilden Theater and Concert Hall in Kristiansand in Norway wooden surfaces have been cleverly used for psychological effects . Juha Gronholm from the Finnish architectural studio ALA explains that the concert hall was conceived to feel as a musical instrument in itself . The undulating form of the ceiling was built from local oak based on traditional boat construction principles . Such a formal solution would have been impossible to make out of any other material . In a similar way the Kamppi Chapel of Silence is an example of exquisite craftsmanship in the treatment of timber . Erected in one of the busiest areas in Helsinki the chapel looks like a giant wooden bowl that has accidentally landed in the heart of the city and feels almost like a piece of conceptual art -- architecture with spiritual and intellectual connotations -- as sacred buildings should , of course . Its setting is unusual and its circular form radically breaking traditional models of architecture . In Nordic countries and in the Balkans , wood has always been part of the architectural heritage . Weekends and holidays are still spent in waterfront log cabins and wooden cottages , but due to safety regulations -- and a disdain towards traditional materials in the 1960 's -- its use diminished in family house building . Wood has been perceived as a modest material . A sense of simplicity and truthfulness is still associated to all timber constructions . In a world where our ecological footprint is continuously considered , the reality of wood being the new concrete looks plausible indeed . Not only does wood absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide , it also stores it in its finished form . The entire lifecycle of wood from construction to recycling benefits the planet from an ecological perspective . In countries where wood is a natural resource buildings made out of timber make perfect sense . `` It would be crazy not to make the most of a material , which is renewable and responds to serious environmental threats , '' Kantonen says . `` Producing concrete and steel takes huge amounts of energy . '' He also believes that wooden buildings will attribute to a better society where people are more tolerant and open towards each other : . `` There is a warmth in wood and I do n't just mean the physical characteristics . '' © 2012 Grand Tour Magazine . All rights reserved .
Wooden structures a central theme during World Design Capital year in Helsinki . Buildings like the Kamppi Chapel in Helsinki an example of exquisite timber craftsmanship . Wood and wooden buildings a part of Nordic countries architectural heritage .