Does the use of natural materials have direct health benefits too? We discussed what makes wood unique with Karin Löfgren PhD, architect and sustainability manager at AIX Arkitekter.
Health benefits of wood
Health benefits of wood – can its positive effects be proven?
We love wood. As longstanding advocates of this versatile natural material, here at Holmen we see it as our mission to share all the benefits of using wood in different contexts:
Wood as a renewable resource that helps reduce carbon emissions, wood as an energy-saving, strong and flexible building material used in everything from houses to large and complex structures, or wood as a relatively lightweight material that speeds up construction processes and brings economic and technical benefits on top of the environmental benefits.
Holmen loves wood and we are proud of – and confident about – our message that wood is a sustainable, efficient and climate-smart alternative that has the power to improve future community development. Wood is simply a material with endless great qualities. Not to mention all the positive health effects wood has on us humans.
Or does it? Is wood and well-being something we can legitimately talk about?
Can we be equally confident in spreading the word about pleasant, comfortable indoor environments? About the natural beauty and welcoming warmth of the material, about mental calmness, lower blood pressure and faster recovery in people who spend time in environments that feature wood? Do we really know that people and wood are truly a feel-good combination?
Judging by all the anecdotal evidence pointing in that direction, we certainly know that many people feel that way. We are far from alone in our love of wood. Professionals who build in wood, tenants living in wooden apartment blocks, teachers teaching in wooden schools, staff providing care in wooden environments and architects and designers who repeatedly choose to create in wood – all testify to the same thing, namely that people thrive with wood around them.
We decided to do some digging of our own into what research and studies actually exist in this field and what the results show.
Architects and designers have an important role to play
Aesthetic wood design for body and soul
Wood continues to be important in the transition to a more climate-positive society
“Wooden buildings speak to all the senses!”
Can we say that wood offers aesthetic, sensory and tactile experiences that simply make us feel good about staying in wooden houses? Of course we can, says Oskar Norelius.
Does the choice of materials in learning environments matter?
Wood as a healthy influence in schools
More and more school buildings are being constructed with a timber frame, which seems to be good for both body and mind. A successful example can be found in Hammarö, where ByggDialog and Hammarö Municipality completed Mörmoskolan secondary school in 2024.
Studies at Skellefteå Hospital
Seeking to prove the health benefits of wood in healthcare
Can clear elements of wood in healthcare facilities contribute to faster recovery and increased well-being of patients? In that case, there are great gains to be made, for both people and the economy. In 2021, a research project started at the orthopaedic clinic at Skellefteå Hospital that investigates the connection between health and wood.