Wood is ecological building and interior design material which stores carbon even when used in construction. Therefore, it’s use in construction can be increased sustainably. Achieving the goal of sustainable development in construction requires further developing the value chain, e.g., construction processes and structural design, interior design and architecture. Moreover, consumers and decision-makers need to be better aware of the benefits of wood. Knowing consumers’ attitudes and preferences regarding wood and the factors behind choosing wood materials in construction are needed to improve wood’s position in the construction markets. Market-driven, human-oriented design of wood products requires more knowledge of consumer preferences and factors that influence people’s choices (Lähtinen et al. 2017, 2019). Thus, the research questions of the project are:
• Is wood more comfortable than synthetic materials – why? Can we distinguish real wood from the synthetic materials by touch only?
• Do people’s choices differ if they select the preferable material with a sense of touch vs. a sense of sight? Which wood species is the most popular / preferred?
• Do cultural differences affect people’s wood material choices? What other factors influence people’s choices (age, gender, growth environment, occupation, etc.)?
• How does wood surface processing affect the choices?
Keywords: sustainability, consumer preference, awareness
Authors
T. Jyske
R. Muilu-Mäkelä
A. Ojala
K. Kuroda
Y. Tsunetsugu
K. Lähtinen
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