Woodhouse Estonia has a beautiful tradition of recognising individuals or organisations that have made a significant contribution to the development of the Estonian wooden house sector.
With the honorary title of ‘Person of the Year’, Woodhouse Estonia recognises those members who have outstandingly represented the sector, launched or implemented complex projects, or significantly contributed to the development of the entire sector.
Martin Talts (KMT Prefab OÜ), a former board member of Woodhouse Estonia, was named Person of the
Year 2021 for his long-term contribution to the management board of Woodhouse Estonia, the activities of the organisation, and his role as a spokesperson for the sector. “Being nominated was a big surprise to me and I honestly have no idea who voted for me. However, this title also recognises one of the best and strongest professional organisations – Woodhouse Estonia,” confirmed Martin Talts upon receiving the title. “Woodhouse Estonia plays a very important role in bringing together wooden house manufacturers and various cooperation partners. The work that, first of all, the executive team of Woodhouse Estonia, but also the management board and several members do to promote the Estonian wooden house sector is crucial. I would say this is what inspired me to contribute to the work of Woodhouse Estonia,” added Talts gratefully.
The honorary title of Friend of Wooden Houses 2021 was awarded to Lauri Kivil, former CEO of Woodhouse Estonia (Estonian Woodhouse Association), for his dedication to the development and visibility of the sector and for growing the network. “I know many people who deserve this title. I have been involved in the awarding of these honorary titles for many years and I understand the principles on which Woodhouse Estonia awards them. To be named among them is a real honour,” Kivil was sincerely grateful for the recognition. “It is hard to accomplish something alone – this credit also goes to the people who have been with me along the way. I would like to thank everyone who is behind the success story of the sector – the current great executive team, various management board members, and the entire team of the Woodhouse Estonia,” added Kivil.
For the second year in a row, Woodhouse Estonia also awards the title Influencer of Estonian Wooden Architecture. This year, the title was awarded to TEMPT Architects for their contribution to the development of Estonian wooden architecture and its popularisation. “Our team is very grateful for this recognition. We will continue to create beautiful and carefully thought-out buildings that inspire people to live in sustainable wooden buildings. Conducting the award ceremony at the Estonia–Norway conference was an excellent idea as more and more of our projects are being built in Norway,” said architect Mihkel Urmet.
Members of Woodhouse Estonia draw up the list of candidates for awarding the honorary titles. The laureates are determined by a vote among the members and a joint discussion.
Previous Person of the Year title winners:
- 2020 – Tarmo Tamm (Peetri Puit OÜ)
- 2019 – Siim Leisalu (Timbeco Woodhouse OÜ)
- 2018 – Argo Saul (Nordic Houses KT OÜ)
- 2017 – Toomas Kalev (Harmet OÜ)
- 2016 – Raiko Gustavson (Pärnu Log Homes OÜ)
- 2015 – Andrus Prangli (Hobbiton Home OÜ)
- 2014 – Mihkel Urmet (TEMPT OÜ)
- 2013 – Sven Mats (Matek AS)
- 2012 – Ragner Lõbu (Hobbiton Home OÜ)
- 2011 – Argo Saul (Nordic Houses KT OÜ)
Previous Friend of Wooden Houses title winners
- 2020 – Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and KredEx – for the development and launch of the pilot project of the support measure for the factory reconstruction of apartment buildings
- 2019 – President Kersti Kaljulaid – for dealing with environmental and climate issues
- 2018 Targo Kalamees (TalTech) – preparation of qualified workforce for the wooden house sector, development of research and development cooperation, and organisation of the international wood engineering conference Forum Wood Building Baltic 2019
- 2017 – Enterprise Estonia – supporting export activities of the sector
- 2016 – emeritus professor Karl Õiger (TalTech) – long-term contribution to the promotion of engineering education in the field of construction
- 2015 – Ülenurme rural municipality – the local municipality that builds the most wooden buildings
- 2014 – Rescue Board – dealing with the topic of fire safety of wooden houses
- 2013 – Estonian Open Air Museum – preserving the traditions of wooden construction
- 2012 – the Kingdom of Norway – the main target market of the Estonian wooden house sector for ten years now
- 2011 – Reet Truuts – Senior Adviser on foreign trade at Enterprise Estonia
- 2010 – Märt Riistop – leader of the tree information (Puuinfo) programme
Previous Estonian Wooden Architecture Influencer title winners
- 2020 – Erik Konze in cooperation with the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association – for organising the wooden architecture conference ‘Wood – the key to the living environment of the future’