We love wood. As longstanding advocates of this versatile natural material, here at Martinsons 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.
Martinsons 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. At Martinsons, 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.
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.
