OUR VALUES

THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT VALUES AT POLAR LIFE HAUS

OUR IDEOLOGY

Each Polar Life Haus home is manufactured as a custom project based on customer wishes. It combines quality-focused building drawing on the Central European Zimmermeister traditions, cutting edge technology, design inspired by Northern nature, and building materials that are good for both people and the environment. Read more about our ideology!

ZIMMERMEISTER

The traditional Zimmermeister master builder culture, going back all the way to the Middle Ages, is still alive and well in Germany. Zimmermeister is a respected profession, and to become one, you must pass a demanding exam preceded by years of studies and practical practice at construction sites. Teachings are passed from foremen to journeymen.

For Zimmermeisters, honour is everything; the purpose of construction is to implement a sound and sustainable building without compromises. Polar Life Haus entrepreneurs have spent long periods in Germany learning about local construction. The time spent in Germany has provided a vision of better construction and housing without compromising on design and quality but still respecting tradition and nature.

Along the way, it has been acknowledged that technology plays a crucial role in producing high-quality houses. As a result, the first Hundegger special milling machine was acquired for the factory in 1998. It enabled even more demanding milling work to be carried out at a millimetre accuracy.

The use of spruce as a raw material for log houses also originates from Germany. In Central Europe, the requirements concerning timber quality are incredibly high, and an answer to this can be found in spruce. It has a more even and lighter colour tone than pine, and it also retains its light colour for a longer time. Spruce is also highly moisture resistant – it is therefore particularly suited for modern wooden buildings.

When you follow your heart, results will follow. Today, Polar Life Haus is the leading log house exporter for the German market.

NATURE

In addition to the Zimmermeister culture, another big inspiration for us is nature.

Hiking is a passion shared by our entrepreneurs and the entire work community. There is a desire to go north, preferably several times a year. Far from everything, close to the essentials.

The ragged fells put things into perspective. During hikes, it becomes clear what really matters in the construction of houses:

Build houses in harmony with their environment and form part of the landscape. Houses that have been built with respect towards nature, using ecological raw materials. Houses in which nature genuinely combines with the design and becomes part of the interior design. Houses that will last for future generations too.

New ideas seem to almost form by themselves while sitting by the campfire in the night-time wilderness. Walking makes the direction become clear.

“We want this landscape to be proud of us.”

WELL-BEING

Nowadays, people spend most of their life indoors. This is why indoor air quality has an extremely high impact on well-being. We want to make houses where people feel well and live healthier and longer lives.

Log houses built with solid wall structures regulate and balance indoor humidity. A solid log wall also balances temperature fluctuations and purifies the air. It is a safe structure which prevents moisture problems from occurring. Log houses provide an excellent environment to breathe in.

Wooden surfaces are proven to have other health benefits too. They relieve symptoms of stress several times more effectively than other surface materials. Wooden surfaces are also pleasant and warm to the touch. They are also a feast for the eyes.

The purity of building materials is also an important factor in terms of everyday well-being. An increasing number of people prefer to choose pure consumables that have been naturally produced – why should this not apply to housing too?

The timber we use is of premium quality; pure Finnish wood. The laminated logs and glue-laminated beams are produced using formaldehyde-free glue, ensuring that no harmful compounds are released into the indoor air.

We believe these choices make a difference when building houses that are good for their residents.

ECOLOGY

FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

Pure Northern nature is an important source of inspiration and creativity for us, and, therefore, we constantly put effort into product development to find even more environmentally friendly solutions. Environmental friendliness and offering our customers top quality run hand in hand. By choosing Polar Life Haus as your home manufacturer, you are doing good for yourself and the environment.

A wooden house is good for people and nature. Wood is by far the most environmentally friendly building material – it is a renewable natural resource, and more of it is constantly growing in Finnish forests close to us.

A LOG HOUSE IS THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Wood is by far the most environmentally friendly construction method. Wooden houses, especially log houses, are long-lived. They can withstand up to hundreds of years, and during their long life cycle, they store carbon. A log house’s carbon content is up to ten-fold compared to the production phase’s greenhouse emissions. Wood is a renewable material, and it can also be recycled. The construction of a wooden house consumes less energy than a house built with other material: only half of the energy required for constructing a concrete house. The wood fraction formed as a side product is utilised for heating production.

The journey that a young sapling takes to become a sturdy tree and reaching the walls of a log house from a forestry site is long. It will spend decades growing in the forest, giving shelter to various species of animal and plant, and by the time it is chosen to become a log billet, it will have lived for as long as a human being. This can be seen in the grains and growth rings of the tree, telling a tale of cold winters and spring seasons of astounding growth.

The oldest log houses that are used for residential purposes are well over one hundred years old. A wooden house is a choice that considers the environment. It is a home against a throw-away society and in favour of sustainability. It has significance.

Honkatalojen Alkuhirsi on sydänkeskeinen kuusen höylähirsi

USE OF TIMBER OFF-CUTS AND DISCONTINUED TIMBER

Wood off-cuts produced as a side product of wood processing are used in our factory area for heat production. Any excess is utilised, for example, in agriculture as a desiccant. We sort the material used in our houses with extreme care but without wasting timber – any wood that does not meet our quality criteria is either returned to the sawn goods supplier or resold for other purposes.

SOLID LOG IS A RETURN TO THE ROOTS OF WOOD CONSTRUCTION

Solid log is a novel product offered by Polar Life Haus. Solid log is a wide log that is exceptionally made of light-toned spruce and only having glue at the finger joints. Solid Log is solid wood, a 100% natural product. Solid log can be processed at a width of up to 280 mm, and it can also be used to produce a log house implemented with a non-settling structure. Special grooves minimise cracking.

EXPLORE THE 300-PAGE CATALOGUE

POLAR LIFE HAUS – HOUSE DESIGN COLLECTION

Learn about our unique building philosophy and materials

Beautiful exterior and interior photography

A wide range of house and villa ideas and inspiration to help you envision your own, individual Polar Life Haus

DOWNLOAD OUR HOUSE CATALOGUE

or contact your local representative to receive a printed version.