Honka Haiku is a trailblazer in sustainable and healthy living

Press release Honkarakenne Ltd
Free for publication on 19 May 2022 at 12.00 noon

Honka Haiku is a trailblazer in sustainable and healthy living

The log house produces its own electricity and has achieved the best energy-efficiency rating A. The house also responds to the surrounding environment through a smart home solution.

Choosing the right technology for your home can enhance the sustainability of living and quality of life. With a Honkarakenne log house, you get top-level energy efficiency, a holistic approach to keeping indoor air healthy as well as modern smart-home solutions designed to respond to everyday situations and the surrounding conditions. The technology blends in with the harmonious look of the log house. Honka Haiku is site number 3 at the 2022 Housing Fair 2022 held in Naantali, Finland.

Honka Haiku has the highest building energy-efficiency rating A. In Honka Haiku, energy efficiency is enabled by, e.g. an innovative next-generation solar-power system and class A airtightness ensured by low-emission construction materials.

Energy from the sun is converted into electricity for the building. The roof is equipped with durable, light and inconspicuous thin-film solar panels. The amount of energy generated annually by solar panels can cover almost 10% of the net annual energy demand calculated for the building, which is 1,450 kWh.

Class A airtightness (Honka Haiku’s Air Changes per Hour, i.e., ACH score q50 = 0.5 m3/(m2 h)) is the result of Honkarakenne’s long-term product development and high quality of construction. "The idea of log houses being draughty is outdated. A log house breathes, i.e., keeps the humidity at a safe level while being airtight,” says Eino Hekali, Product Director at Honkarakenne.

A healthy house without compromise

In accordance with its sustainability programme, Honkarakenne is building healthy homes and a sustainable future. In a log house, indoor air is naturally healthy and fresh, but indoor air quality is also affected by the other construction materials selected. In addition to log, Honkarakenne uses M1-certified low-emission construction materials that do not release harmful compounds into the air. In Honka Haiku, M1-certified products are used in the surfaces and fixtures, as well as in the air sealing materials and ventilation ducts.

The bedrooms are equipped with indoor-air sensors that monitor the air quality and control the
mechanical ventilation system. The wireless IoT sensors in the wet rooms, concrete floors and log structures monitor changes in the building’s humidity levels.

A smart home brings peace of mind

Smart home solutions enhance comfort and improve safety and security while making the building more energy efficient. In Honka Haiku , the lighting in the living areas automatically responds to sunlight. When it is dark outside, the lights are brighter than during the day, and when there is no one in the room, they are automatically switched off. The system can also be used to set up specific lighting schemes, such as mood lighting for dinners and bright lights for cleaning, or to turn on electrical equipment, such as fans and humidifiers.

The smart system also detects movement and if any doors or windows have been left open. It also increases security and peace of mind to have the ability to control the house’s lighting system remotely and make it look like someone is home even when the house is empty.

Feel the power of the forest

Honka Haiku is the result of close collaboration between architect Marko Simsiö, interior designer Maru Hautala and landscape architect Asako Hashimoto. The architecturally interesting, modern log house inspired by Japanese harmony has been fitted in the stunning archipelago plot in a way that respects the surrounding nature and protects the rocky terrain and pine forest. In the interior, wood is boldly left visible in many places, there is a Japanese garden outside and the sauna area features a calming spa resembling an onsen, a hot spring.

Partners in Honka Haiku
Solar roof/Virte Solar Oy
Humidity sensors/Wiiste Oy
Wiser Smart Home/Schneider Electric Oy
Air sealing materials/Tiivistalo Oy

Photos and interviews
The construction and interior design of Honka Haiku are complete. We can soon start arranging photo shoots and interviews at the house. Let’s keep in touch!

Photos of Honka Haiku
honka.com/media

More information
Sanna Huovinen, Marketing Director
+358 40 197 8707, sanna.huovinen@honka.com

Recommended reading
The Japan-inspired Honka Haiku, which is under construction for the Naantali Housing Fair, is in harmony with the surrounding nature (29 March 2022)
Log home designed for good life under construction for the Naantali Housing Fair in Finland
(4 November 2021)

Honkarakenne Ltd manufactures healthy and eco-friendly high-quality log homes, holiday homes and public buildings. Its buildings are made of Finnish solid wood under the Honka® brand. The company has delivered over 85,000 buildings to over 50 countries. We manufacture our home packages in Finland, at our own factory located in Karstula. In 2021, Honkarakenne Group’s consolidated net sales totalled EUR 69.7 million, of which exports accounted for 37%. www.honka.fi