About Us
20 +
YEARS
EXPERIENCE
More Time for
Living!
Our main areas of activity at BUEN Nordic Houses are the design, production and logistics of timber-frame buildings. We’ve been operating over 20 years, and in that time we’ve grown into a group of companies whose collective aim is to promote, all along the value chain, a way of living in your own home that brings you enjoyment of life. Our main clients are distributers, developers and construction companies in the Nordic countries.
Argo Saul
Founder & CEO
“Good ideas will make something of themselves” – that was the belief with which Argo Saul laid the foundations for his journey.
The story of Argo and his timber houses dates back to 1997 when he started working in Norway. A player in the sales and consultation sector, he noted the popularity of environmentally friendly timber houses in the homeland of the fjord. Five years later he met the grand old man of recreational housing, Asbjørn Buen, whose main area of interest was merging the timber house construction resources of Norway and Estonia.
The undertaking the men pioneered and their shared vision led to the creation of a joint company between the two countries. The first production unit manufacturing Nordic Houses’ pre-fab timber buildings was established just two weeks after the men met. One good idea really had made something of itself! The first contract between Argo and Asbjørn was signed on a napkin.
One and half year later after establishing a company Arne Ingvar Moen joined in. Today Arne and Argo are sharing ownership of the company.
Our products and services are standardised, creating the conditions for efficient day-to-day operations. At the same time, we know that customers have different tastes, different needs and different requirements for cottages and homes. That is why we offer a wide range of customisation options, so that your needs and wishes are reflected in both the layout and the appearance of the building.
If we make the right choices at the right time, you get controlled costs and a smooth project process.
OUR HELPFUL TEAM THROUGH THE TIMES
Team BUEN Nordic Houses
BUEN Nordic Houses
WE TAKE THE INITIATIVE – The challenge for Nordic Houses is to drive the creation of value all along the value chain. To do this, we need to take the initiative and make sure we’re agreed on how we’ll work together down the value chain.
WE DARE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY – Long gone are the days when being a decent carpenter was the only qualification required to build a timber house. You not only have to keep pace with change, but be the ones making them.
YOU CAN COUNT ON US – Sticking to the promises we make is important to us. In order for us to be able to do that, we have to get things right, we have to be trustworthy and we have to keep our word.
Brand concept
Based on responsible approach and standardised solutions combined with the latest technology, the aim is to offer clients ‘‘more time for living’’.
ETA (European Technical Approval) certificate – ETA -11/0205
This certificate was issued by SINTEF (Selskapet for Industriell og Teknisk Forskning ved Norges tekniske høgskole), the biggest independent institute for industrial and technological studies in the Nordic countries. Products certified by SINTEF meet all valid European technical requirements and guarantee clients the reliability of a certified company.
ISO – The ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015
certificates issued to us by DNV Certification is valid in the fields of design, production, sales and assembly of timber-frame buildings.
We deliver pre-cut technology timber frame houses. Pre-cut technology means that the materials are delivered in the right size and packaged according to the building process. This technology ensures a very efficient transport volume and significantly shortens construction time.
We provide you with architectural and engineer drawings as input to a local partner, who prepares the plot and foundation, and then with an agreed kit of houses, whose construction and special works are organised by the partner.
Traditions and modern times
From its beginnings as a renowned supplier of mountain cabins in southern Norway, BUEN has long since moved on to the sea, the forest and other parts of the country. Mountain cabins inspired by traditional building practices and design are still our flagship, but are now also supplied in a form adapted to other types of terrain. In recent years, BUEN houses with a modern design language have also been sought.
BUEN cabins have always stood for durability, tradition, thoughtful detail and solid craftsmanship. BUEN offers the very best of Norwegian craftsmanship and materials, tailored to your idea of what a good cabin should be.
As a company we value good, dependable partners who help our everyday operations run smoothly and successfully. We turn a lot of attention to ensuring that the materials and services we supply are first-rate, since that’s the only way that environmentally friendly timber buildings that have been produced responsibly and to a high degree of quality can be made.
We’re looking for local partners on different markets.
Running a business responsibly means readily taking the surrounding environment into account in your everyday operations and relationships and adopting a respectful and considerate approach to your employees, your clients, the market, Mother Nature and those in need. Responsible companies take an interest in assessing the social and environmental impact of what they do. In fact, such responsibility accompanies us every step of the way, every day, because it’s not just a set of regulated activities – it’s a way of thinking.
Good companies care about their employees all the time – not just when they’re at their desks or on the factory floor. Here at Nordic Houses we like to spend time together in a different sort of way every now and then.
We think sustainably
Our vision is to be the region’s most responsible supplier of timber buildings.
For us, responsibility means 3 things in particular.
- producing high quality timber houses (long lasting, environment and health friendly).
- fair management
- caring for people’s well-being (health and development of employees, customers and the wider community).
We are also part of global development, by following our principles we also actively contribute to the ten UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable Management
Sustainable management is a part of our strategy where customer and stakeholder satisfaction is as important as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and our economic sustainability. We have chosen our priorities among the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aim to contribute not only to our company’s development but also to ensure responsible business practices throughout the supply chain. Social responsibility means making decisions that take into account the impact on the community and society as a whole.
Responsibility means the following to us:
- Producing high-quality timber houses (durable, environmentally friendly, and health-conscious)
- Honest leadership, ethical behavior, avoiding conflicts of interest, and responsibility in paying taxes
- Caring for the well-being of people (the health and development of employees, customers, and the wider community); consciously and deliberately, we do not wish to violate anyone’s rights.
- Supply chain management to ensure fair pay for work, adherence to working hours, and the health and safety of employees
For us, one way of actively contributing to the sustainable development of the living environment is to organise activities with a social angle or that are designed to be kind to nature. We favour projects that have a positive influence on the world around us and that support development, education and broader horizons.
Giving Back to Enviroment
We are pleased to offer the community and all interested parties the opportunity to make the most of their free time and spend it playing disc golf in the open air. We have contributed to the development and progression of disc golf park.
In 2014, in cooperation with Tallinn Bird Club, we made nesting boxes for a variety of birds according to their needs and characteristics. We made them so that the birds can again nest in parks and forests close to us where management has resulted in a lack of old, hollow trees. School kids from all over Estonia helped us put the nesting boxes up.
Between November 2015 and May 2016, instructors from the Estonian Ornithological Society paid visits to kindergartens the length and breadth of the country, teaching the kids about the birds they find in their gardens in summer and winter and how they can help them. Throughout winter they monitored the comings and goings at the feeding stations, then in spring nesting boxes were prepared and the kids studied the birdlife around their kindergartens. A total of 57 classes from 39 kindergartens in nine counties took part in the study programme, including 1089 kids and 148 teachers and other grown-ups. The project was supported by the Environmental Investment Centre, while Nordic Houses provided the nesting boxes.
In association with Kuusalu Commune Administration and Nordic Houses, a pavilion was founded for outdoor learning, which is also available for kindergarten open air stage and learning space. The pavilion has a height of 3.3 meters, an area of 7 × 6 meters, and a stepping stroke that extends 2 meters further. In addition to kindergarten outdoor lessons, it is possible to organize open-air parties, concerts and performances there. We also donated wooden flower boxes with flowers in it to the kindergarten and to Kuusalu Commune Administration. Everyone was happy!
On 7 May 2016 we held a tree-planting event during which we planted close to 3000 pine trees in support of the education of Estonia’s youngsters. Our hard-working collective, alongside the NGO Hea Tahte Koda, whose members are the Estonian alumni of the unique international youth programme Up with People, have put together a project giving members of the public the chance to support the involvement of kids from Estonia in the programme by buying trees (see http://will.ee). In its activities, Up with People supports (among other things) an environmentally friendly and sustainable way of life at the global level, since over the years youngsters from 100 different countries have taken part in the programme. Estonia is a country of forests. Ulvar Kaubi, a representative of the State Forest Management Centre, commented on the busy day: “Everyone really put their backs into it. By the time we’d gotten about halfway through I thought the heat might wear people out and their rumbling tummies might get the better of them before everything was finished, but they soldiered on and we got all 3000 pines planted. Making a forest together puts a smile on people’s faces – everyone was really happy to be a part of it. The symbolic value of the land we were planting the trees on, which is just outside Hageri in Rapla County, is boosted by the knowledge that it’ll contribute to Hea Tahte Koda’s support for kids’ education.
Replenishing forests and planting new trees is a very important area of activity for the State Forest Management Centre. In order to manage forests sparingly you have to take good care of them over the years. This spring we’ll be planting almost 20 million trees in our national forests. After that we’ll be keeping an eye on all of the areas we plant them in, which will see the growth of a new generation of forest.”
Hea Tahte Koda and Nordic Houses would like to thank the fantastic instructors and everyone who shared their forestry wisdom with us, as well as the State Forest Management Centre’s Priit Kõresaar (director of silviculture for the south-west region) and Kadri Rütmann (forest ranger and forestry manager for the Rapla County forest management district). We hope this one-off event will turn into a long-standing tradition in support of expanding the horizons of diligent youngsters from Estonia and helping them discover the world.
A brand-new bird-watching tower is under construction in the coastal meadow in Vihasoo in Kuusalu municipality. Once completed, it will reach a height of 7 metres. “At first the plan was to build a 3-metre tower, but the decision was taken to erect a taller tower in order to provide a better view of the small islands in Eru Bay,” explained Linda Metsaorg from the Eru Bay Coastal People’s Association during the cornerstone ceremony held on 6 July 2016. “It’s great that there’s a company like Nordic Houses in Kuusalu that’s so willing to help out. The support they’ve given us in financing the construction of the tower and helping to get it erected is really gratifying.” We’ll find out more about the tower once it’s been completed.
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