Striving for the best possible outcome in everything we do is at the heart of the Honka philosophy. We make no compromises. That is why, in the early 2000s, Honka started thinking about how to build modern homes also in towns and cities using the world’s best materials.
Log houses have been built in Finland for centuries, and been proven to be healthy and safe. But as the natural material shrinks as it gradually dries, allowances had to be made in the structures for shrinkage and sagging, or settling. As such, the technology did not allow for the design of elegant town houses. So we needed logs that would not settle. They just had to be developed.
Couldn’t that be done – couldn’t the humble log be reinvented?
We needed logs that would not settle. They just had to be developed.
Planning began in earnest. Honka’s log engineers drew and evaluated different ideas and designed various solutions. The best were selected and tested and studied in practice: how would the wall options settle in the test buildings, how would they hold up over time, how airtight and fireproof would they be? After a long period of research and testing, our log engineers concluded that cross-laminated logs were the best option by all measures.
The innovation was truly that – something completely new. Cross-laminated, non-settling logs do not shrink or sag over time, and therefore allow for tight seams. The horizontal joint groove between the logs was developed to be as shallow and unobtrusive as possible, allowing for architecturally modern Scandinavian house design. The level overlap of the log and the zero-corner solution allowed for purer lines and more modern interior and exterior architecture. The non-settling logs also made the houses more energy-efficient and therefore more economical. A new page in log history had been turned!
The horizontal joint groove between the logs was developed to be as shallow and unobtrusive as possible, allowing for architecturally modern Scandinavian house design.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Honka’s non-settling logs, as the first Honka building made with the new logs was built in Germany in 2003. In the same year, Honka also erected the world’s first home that was made of solid, non-settling logs – Villa Sopanen in Inkoo, southern Finland. In that house, the non-settling solid logs are largely of the same form as they are today.
We can truly say that Honka’s non-settling logs are the most extensively studied on the market.
Since then, our innovation has changed the entire industry significantly. Many log home manufacturers now have their own non-settling logs on the market, but we led the way 15 years before our competitors. And over these 20 years, we have also continued to develop our non-settling logs and gained important user data. We can truly say that Honka’s non-settling logs are the most extensively studied on the market.
The first house built from Honka’s non-settling logs still stands proudly in Inkoo, and Honka log houses have since been built all around the world. In other words, Honka’s innovation is enjoyed by people at all latitudes of the globe. The structure can withstand all kinds of weather conditions – rain, storms, frost and heat. It holds up firmly in the face of the harshest forces of nature. We are proud that ours are the original non-settling logs – Honka quality, tested in all conditions.
Honka log houses have been built all around the world. In other words, Honka’s innovation is enjoyed by people at all latitudes of the globe.
How can we help you?
Share your log home dreams with the nearest Honka representative. We will help you to realise them.
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