Comparing Wood versus Concrete: An Explorative Study of Municipal Civil Servants' Beliefs About Multistory Building Materials in Finland

The rising interest in wooden multistory buildings (WMSB) has led to multiple studies investigating how construction professionals perceive different structural frame materials. These investigations, however, exclude viewpoints from public employees (i.e., civil servants), who are central to driving the implementation of WMSB. This study is part of a broader inquiry to examine perceptions from Finnish civil servants who are responsible for municipal land-use planning and development. To this end, a questionnaire applying the theory of planned behavior was designed. Civil servants were asked to evaluate how strongly they believe WMSB possess 16 attributes in comparison to concrete multistory buildings (CMSB). The attributes constitute statements concerning various economic, social, and environmental impacts of multistory buildings, as well as technical properties. Responses (N = 273) indicate that WMSB are believed to possess positive environmental attributes and to support economic development. In contrast, CMSB are regarded to have lower construction and maintenance cost and to be less susceptible to fire. Furthermore, exogenous factors, like demographics, previous experience, and social environments, were significantly correlated to respondents' beliefs. Especially prominent was the relationship between profession and beliefs about technical and environmental attributes. Future research should focus on determining whether the set of attributes assessed in this study are relevant to the implementation of multistory building projects within Finnish municipalities.