Leida Pello: How did you become a timber architect?
Mihkel Urmet: One does not become a timber architect, but wood as a logical choice finally finds them. As an Estonian you know that wood is not something one strives for or discovers. For a native Estonian, wood is not a new material; it is part of our DNA. We all come from the woods. Maybe that is why we [Estonians] are more creative; we think differently, we are not finite.
LP: Why do clients choose timber architecture?
MU: The clients are starting to understand that in reality they are concerned about the outer space around them and they want quality in their lives. Then, people somehow reach the wood, as it is the natural choice. Then, they want to live among the trees, not only should their living environment be made of wood, they also want to be surrounded by trees. Then, they start to acknowledge the surroundings. As all the things around us are decomposing at the same time. And so is the whole world. We cannot see it, but in reality it keeps on disintegrating. Thus, we choose to be surrounded by the environment we breathe in and absorb and in the end, the environment is part of our DNA. For about 12 000 years, Estonians lived in the forest, then, for a couple of hundred years, in stone houses. However, as we lived in the forest for such a long time, it is a large part of our DNA. And people start to choose, they might not think about that everything is decomposing around us and that we breathe it in, but somehow they comprehend it, I think.
LP: What are the main trends in timber architecture?
MU: There are no significant trends, but now the biggest thing that keeps rapidly growing is CLT [cross-laminated timber]. They are basically laminated wood panels that allow you to build a table. It’s really stiff and can carry a lot of weights. It’s fire resistant and a good bearing structure. So basically CLT is the ‘it’ thing in timber architecture.
LP: What was the Nordic Concept about?
MU: We did prefab houses for Nordic Houses. They wanted each year to have a new Nordic Concept 2014, 2015, etc. and we came out with a new concept that would be a future house but not too futuristic, something commercial. They’ll start building some of the prefab houses this or next year and then they’ll start selling them. It somehow took time.
 TreePOD © tempt.ee |  TreePOD © tempt.ee |
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 TreeCAB © tempt.ee |  TreeCAB © tempt.ee |
LP: What are you working on at the moment?
MU: I am on my way to a meeting with the professors of the Tallinn University of Technology to discuss doing their dormitory buildings as factory buildings. They would basically be modules. You do each room separately and then put them on top of each other. It creates a grid and that’s what I’m going to discuss with them.
In general, we do a lot of those prefab houses and conceptual solutions. We were invited to collaborate with a start-up company, as the visual people. They wanted to do a house factory that would produce houses, but they wanted to do something differently. Then I said, why not do something futuristic, let’s start producing something no one else does. We’d start with CLT and then the drones would take the houses to where the client wants the house to be and everything would be remotely controlled with iPad. So you wouldn’t have to think about where to turn the heating on, like a little futuristic world.
LP: Why is it more beneficial to build wooden houses in a factory?
MU: Weather is the main reason. Inevitably it affects the production process. It’s more comfortable to do it indoors. All the necessary equipment is there. It also allows planning how much material will go and how to use the leftovers. Plus, it’s easy to observe and to keep an eye on the quality of the production process. In a factory, the house becomes a product. It’s like if someone would ask you to do a vase for them, you wouldn’t do it in your apartment. It’s wiser to produce it in a factory. You can also make sure it’s of good quality and then take it to the client. I often don’t consider myself as an architect, you cannot affect the cityscape that much, as cities are finished, and you can affect only a small space of it, so you are more of a designer.
LP: How long does it take to build a factory-manufactured house?
MU: This goes quickly. It takes one day to build a house in a factory. And then a couple of days to get it set up in its location. Interior work takes time. But the exterior doesn’t require much time at all.
LP: How long is the visual process and how different is it compared to concrete architecture?
MU: Not really, they are quite similar. You sketch the house, but you already have to know in your head that here will be a laminate beam; here the interim solution will be from one piece. But it doesn’t set you any limits; it is not about finding the problems but finding solutions to the problems. The client is the one with the problem, but you have the solution, you are the solution finder.
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