UPM Biocomposites

A sense of community, abundant greenery and lake views on the roof terrace for all residentsThe housing fair is held annually in Finland. In 2021, it will be held in a scenic location in Lohja, Southern Finland. An interesting partnership quarter will also be put up in the fair area, where a sense of community has especially been taken into account in the planning. A block of 34 modern and energy-efficient apartments. The principal designer of the site is the architect Sasu Alasentie from UKI Arkkitehdit.”The idea behind the whole quarter is a sense of community. The flats in the building do not have their own saunas, but instead a communal use sauna will be constructed on the roof terrace. You can see the wonderful lake scenery from the roof and by utilising the roof terrace we wanted to ensure views of the lake to all residents. The yard areas of the quarter are fairly compact, but the roof terrace creates more greenery and communal outside areas for all the residents to use. We also hope that this will increase the residents’ team spirit and sense of community,” says Sasu Alasentie about the basis of the planning. ”On the roof terrace, we will also build an individual planting box for each resident, where they can cultivate herbs, flowers or whatever plants they want. A small summer kitchen corner and dining area will also be built there, as well as hanging chairs for lounging around. All in all, the area will hopefully become a communal, green oasis to spend time in, for all the residents,” says Sasu Alasentie. ”When we were choosing materials for the terrace, it was important to us that they would be in keeping with the building’s ecological nature and energy efficiency. Together with the contractor, we decided on the UPM ProFi Piazza composite for the terrace material. What appealed to us about it was particularly its durability and that it was easy to look after. Naturally also the fact that it’s made of recycled material, which fits well with the environmentally-friendly ideology of the whole building. I believe that in future projects, environmental friendliness and materials made from recycled materials will become even more popular,” says Sasu Alasentie.  

Natural beauty, easy to maintain and sustainable quality were the key factors for one family’s decking choice – UPM ProFi Piazza, Californian OakSaija and Petri Nylund and their two grown up children were already experienced home builders. As their family situation and needs have changed, they decided to build a new home. Once again they planned a turn-key solution: this time a stylish and modern white house built for them by the contractor Hevi-kivitalot as part of 2020’s Tuusula Housing Fair.Their brief for the design of both exterior and interior living areas of the house was very clear: they wanted to have high quality, ageless materials, with a hint of everyday luxury. Colours should be natural and neutral. The internal and external living areas should be seamlessly joined together.There are three different balconies or outdoor deckings, each with a different function. One balcony opens out from the master bedroom. The second balcony, a rooftop terrace with an outdoor jacuzzi, lies next to the sauna and bathroom. The third and main decking area opens out directly from the kitchen and living room and features a partly glazed area with a dining table. Natural light floods into this perfect merging of the indoor and outdoor living areas.The interior of the house was created by the interior designer Laura Seppänen, who also found the decking material, UPM ProFi Piazza in Californian Oak colour. “We immediately liked the natural look of this material, with its modern woodgrain design and texture. The neutral “Californian Oak” colour also matched well with the pure white colour of the house and the other colour choices we have made elsewhere in our new home.” explained Petri Nylund, father of the family. “I especially appreciate that it is very easy to clean and maintain – only periodically washing is needed”, said his wife Saija Nylund. “It also feels comfortable and safe with bare feet. An additional advantage is that it’s made with a high recycled content – we prefer to choose materials which are also environmentally friendly”, she continues. “In general, we are very pleased with our new home and also all of the outdoor areas”, the couple says together.This summer, the whole Nylund family are enjoying their first summer in their new home, especially the long sunny days and warm evenings in their extended outdoor living room, made with UPM ProFi Piazza decking.

UPM ProFi celebrates its 10 years journey as one of the leading European WPC decking producers. As part of the celebration we will revisit decks installed during the first years of UPM ProFi, 2007-2012.

During 2017 UPM ProFi celebrates its 10 years anniversary. The spirit of UPM ProFi Deck remains constant although the boards have benefitted from continual improvement: to provide a fresh and modern look combined with superior performance. The 2017 celebrations include revisiting decks from the past, new design collaborations that showcase the future of outdoor living, a true or false myth challenge, and new additions to UPM ProFi’s total deck system.