Tapio Anttila's impressive Habitare stand is made of strong WISA^®-Birch plywood

Anu Ritvanen

Editor, Tulus

Finnish furniture designer Tapio Anttila relies on the strong and lightweight exhibition structures made from WISA^®-Birch Premium plywood to showcase his products at the Habitare fair.

The Tapio Anttila furniture brand's exhibition stand at Habitare, the leading furniture, design and interior design event in the Nordic countries, is built from strong WISA^®-Birch Premium plywood.

The innovative three-storey stand, designed by furniture designer and interior architect Tapio Anttila, is made of plywood boxes and is a sight to behold in itself. Moreover, the structure showcases the Tapio Anttila Collection's furniture and accessories in a manner befitting their quality.

The concept's excellence is underlined by its reusability for future fairs, pop-up events or even shop fittings. Anttila is rightfully pleased.

"The solution made of WISA-Birch Premium plywood is perhaps the most versatile and flexible exhibition stand we have ever had. The stackable boxes can be reassembled and rearranged to fit different spaces. In addition, the boxes can be stored one inside the other and can also be used to transport items safely. It's about time we got rid of the disposable exhibition culture," says Anttila, who is impressed by the commonsense solution.

Durable structures for fairs and events with WISA plywood

The common sense Anttila calls for could also be called sustainable and responsible. When you assemble an exhibition stand from high-quality plywood, the structures last for a long time and are adaptable. Using sustainable materials reduces both costs and demands on the environment.

The wood raw material for WISA plywood comes from sustainably managed forests and has a third-party verified FSC^® (FSC C009856) and PEFC (PEFC/02-31-112) certified chain of custody.

"We used common sense in our sizing too. We optimised the structures to fit the panel sizes of WISA plywood. We even utilised the leftover 20-centimetre plywood strips from the boxes for signs displaying product information," says Anttila, describing the minimisation of waste.

With good design, plywood can be used to create versatile structures

The three-storey stand fits perfectly with the theme “Layers” of the 2024 Habitare fair. The Tapio Anttila stand will also embody layering on another level: the Anttila online store will be launched at Habitare, and the stand will feature the same elements as the online store.

"Thin but strong birch plywood can be used to create lightweight-looking structures. When viewed from the front, chairs, for example, stand out well against the transparent frame-like boxes. Boxes with back walls are great for hanging items like the Aski or Renki shelves," says Anttila, describing the various configurations.

In addition to exhibition structures, Anttila uses various types of WISA plywood in the furniture and accessories he designs, both as aesthetic-functional visible structures and in frames.

"In Finland, we are perhaps more used to plywood than in Central Europe, for example, where high-quality plywood can raise admiration in itself," says the award-winning designer, who also encourages event organisers to make more use of the versatile natural material.

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