Rethinking the future

The origins of Stora Enso can be traced back to 1288 when it formed as a copper mining corporation and made history by being the first company to issue shares.

From these ancient beginnings Stora Enso has grown to be the major international manufacturer of paper, packaging, pulp and wood products it is today, surviving many changes and challenges along the way.

Often described as "a global company with a local presence", Stora Enso employs around 30,000 people in more than 35 countries. The company began trading in the UK more than 150 years ago since when it has developed and maintained a strong and loyal customer base, earning a reputation predominantly for being a manufacturer and supplier of high quality softwood joinery products.

Then, in late 2010, Stora Enso began to emerge in the UK as a major player in engineered timber building solutions when the company supplied the cross-laminated timber (CLT) used in the London Borough of Hackney's multi-award winning eight-storey Bridport House.

Stora Enso Building and Living is now the largest manufacturer of CLT supplying the material in UK. The company has two state-of-the- art CLT mills and adjacent sawmills in Austria with a combined volume capacity of 120-160,000m3 per year. The integration of CLT mill and sawmill means that raw material selection is greatly improved and CO2 emissions reduced because there is no extensive raw material transportation between the sawmill and the CLT mill.

In the two years since entering the UK market, Stora Enso Building and Living has become firmly established, having supplied CLT to several important projects across the range of building types, including social and private residential, education and public access. The company works closely with specialist timber engineer and contractor Eurban, which designs, engineers and erects the CLT boards and continues to be Stora Enso's UK-based partner for CLT projects.

Former focus

Prior to 2010 Stora Enso's market for CLT was very much focused in Europe. Matti Mikkola, senior vice-president of Building Solutions, explains what led to Stora Enso's entry to the UK building market: "The birth place of our CLT was in central Europe and almost 70% of CLT is still being produced in Austria, but we have a growth strategy in place and are looking for growth possibilities. In order to achieve growth, you first have to be able to create demand for wooden construction and that's what we are doing in different markets within Europe.

"We are serious about wood construction, and we are certainly growing in this area," continued Mr Mikkola. "The UK government's leaning toward 'fabric first' and sustainability means that projects such as Bridport House offer a clear signpost of what can be done with CLT and this is what we are looking at in the future."

Stora Enso's decision to enter the building solutions market in the UK coincided with a dynamic change process called 'Rethink', which was taking place within the company. This encourages staff to challenge the business and think about its operations in new ways - and this spirit of seeing things afresh has become something of a daily routine in the company.

But how is it possible for a global company nearing its 725th anniversary and operating in some of the toughest markets in the world to maintain the verve more usually to be found in younger organisations? At Stora Enso the question was asked, "How can you challenge the CEO and group executive team to really rethink?". The company's response was to create a 12-strong shadow management team known as Pathfinders who come from a variety of areas within the company.

The Pathfinders were granted the freedom to look deeply within Stora Enso in order to develop a comprehensive picture about the views and opinions of the company's employees, including the highest level of management. They undertook a survey and carried out a series of personal interviews across all business areas and functions.

"We need to think in new ways, we know that we can't continue to be the business that we are today," explained Patricia Wikström, one of the Pathfinders. "When we looked at some of the industry leaders, one thing that really struck us was how clear they were about their purpose and the focus on the long-term future of their business."

Following eight months of hard work, the Pathfinders presented their views on how to turn challenges such as urbanisation, population growth and scarcity of resources into exciting business opportunities. The work now continues on a practical level with a new shadow management group called Pathbuilders who are taking forward the Pathfinders' good work.

New corporate identity

In 2011 Rethink resulted in the development of a fresh new corporate identity, which symbolises the Group's commitment to creating a sustainable future for the planet by developing innovative solutions based on renewable materials. Further changes included the reorganisation of the company's various areas of activity into four newly named business areas, which saw Wood Products and Building Solutions become the Building and Living business area.

CEO Jouko Karvinen explained, the rationale behind the change: "We are organising our businesses based on the different markets and customers they serve. The aim is to increase our organisation's competitiveness, flexibility, speed and accountability, and to minimise interdependencies between the businesses to ensure that we have the ability and agility to seize opportunities arising from the changes in the global economy."

At Stora Enso every employee is trusted to challenge their own and others' thinking in order to find creative solutions to meet their customers' needs. The company describes itself as a "Global Rethinker" and global responsibility - meaning economic, social and environmental responsibility - underpins the thinking and approach to all aspects of its businesses.

Chester Blue Coat CE Primary School

CLT was specified for the superstructure of a newbuild, fully integrated two-form entry primary school at Chester Blue Coat CE Primary School. The project has been constructed in a phased redevelopment of the existing site to provide the new twostorey school and associated existing works while maintaining the full operational capacities of the existing schools.

CLT was specified primarily for its sustainability credentials combined with its suitability to realise the design of the school's superstructure. Other considerations were the efficiencies the system brought to the construction programme, the design flexibility of CLT and its inherent acoustic and airtightness properties.

The scheme, which was designed by Tweed Nuttall Warburton Architects and erected by specialist timber contractor Eurban, provides a rational response to the challenging site topography while acknowledging the existing site infrastructure and usage.

To ensure a holistic school environment the foundation and infant ground floor teaching spaces are linked to the first floor junior spaces by a 'teaching street' at ground level and an overlooking 'balcony street' at first floor level. The balcony was constructed using cantilevered visual grade CLT to avoid structural supports interrupting the 'street' below and its design accentuates the horizontal circulation through the school.

Internally, it was considered important to express the superstructure at particular intervals within the school so that the tactile quality and inherent warmth of the wood are experienced. In addition to the cantilevered balcony, many other areas of the visual grade CLT have been left exposed, including the large hall where it has been used to express the area's volume. in addition, each classroom is designed with one wall left exposed.

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

CLT was specified for a series of significant new buildings at London's iconic Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, which celebrated its 80th season this year.

The series of buildings were designed by Haworth Tompkins Architects and erected by Eurban. The new backstage area comprises an office block, dressing rooms, wardrobe area and workshops and, front-of-house, a new box office and sheltered seating canopy have been created.

The various buildings are constructed using prefabricated CLT boards produced at Stora Enso's Bad St Leonards mill in Austria. The specification of CLT allowed for construction within the six-month window between theatre seasons. The lightweight frames required minimal foundations and enabled existing tree-root systems to be preserved.

The architects were keen on the aesthetic of CLT as an internal finish due to the nature of the site in a densely wooded section of the park, and the type of functions of the spaces, and so the most of the internal surfaces of the industrial grade CLT boards have been left exposed.

The decision to leave the inner facings exposed also removes the need for wet trades such as plastering and provides a blank canvas against which the theatre company can work.