The new Ratina office building is smart, adaptable and energy-efficient
The new office and retail property in Ratina, Tampere, is being built to meet the Gold level requirements of the LEED environmental certification framework. The components of a sustainable construction project include a central location, customer-driven design and smart and energy-efficient solutions.
Sponda is developing an office building in central Tampere, connected to the Ratina shopping centre. The building consists of a four-storey section and a seven-storey section with a combined floor area of 13,300 square metres.
Built to meet the Gold level requirements of the international LEED environmental certification framework, the property will feature intelligent building service systems to conserve water and energy while supporting the well-being of the people who work there.
The adjacent shopping centre and other local services, flexible parking solutions and the neighbouring Sponda MOW Supernova coworking space make daily life easier for the users of the property. The office building is scheduled to be completed in the summer 2020.
A smart property promotes the wellbeing of employees
The premises have been designed based on the needs of the tenants to provide the best possible support for their business operations and sustainability goals.
“Well-being at work is an important focus area at the Ratina office building. The tenants have a strong emphasis on employee well-being. Our job at Sponda is to make it possible for our customers to achieve their goals,” says Jani-Matti Kilpeläinen, the Project Manager in charge of the project at Sponda.
Sensors will be installed in part of the office premises to collect data on temperature, lighting and the carbon dioxide content of the indoor air. The building will also feature systems for monitoring water and electricity consumption. The users of the premises equipped with sensors will have access to the monitoring data via a mobile application. The application will also show the availability of meeting rooms, making it easy to choose a space that suits the user’s needs at any given time.
The space can be divided into sections of different sizes and flexibly converted into smaller offices and meeting rooms.
The office building has been designed to be flexible and adaptable. Kilpeläinen says the premises can be customised as the customer’s needs change: the space can be divided into sections of different sizes, and the open plan office space can be broken up into smaller offices and meeting rooms by putting up partitions, with no need for extensive demolition and rebuilding work.
The size and ventilation of the exterior windows, for example, have been designed with flexibility in mind.
Digital modelling promotes energy efficiency
The property was modelled using digital tools, and modelling is utilised in various stages, from design to the monitoring and supervision of construction. When the building has been completed, the users and maintenance service providers can make use of the models when planning changes to the premises, for example.
“Digital models enable Sponda to simulate various aspects during the design process; for example, how much natural light comes in through the windows and how that affects the other characteristics of the space. Modelling the indoor conditions and energy consumption has made it possible to calculate an energy consumption target for the property. Modelling helps optimise material purchasing and avoid unnecessary costs. 3D modelling also reduces the risk of defects in implementation,” Kilpeläinen explains.
Ambitious sustainability goals
The property is built to meet the requirements of LEED Gold environmental certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificates are issued to buildings that meet criteria related to areas such as waste management, energy and water consumption, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, location and indoor air quality.
LEED Gold is the second-highest rating in the LEED framework.
“LEED Gold buildings satisfy the expectations of demanding tenants with regard to sustainability. At Ratina Offices, the LEED Gold criteria guide design decisions, construction-related purchases as well as the construction site’s waste management and monitoring, among other things,” Kilpeläinen adds.
The design of the building is based on ambitious sustainability criteria that meet the expectations of demanding tenants.
“In designing the property, we have focused on making effective use of daylight in lighting the premises as well as making the heating, cooling and ventilation systems as energy-efficient as possible. Heating, water consumption, ventilation and lighting have been simulated and calculations have been done to make the systems as efficient as possible while ensuring that the premises are pleasant to work in,” Kilpeläinen points out.
Local purchasing is preferred
There are many examples of energy-efficient solutions used at the property: Instead of radiators and air conditioning, the premises are heated and cooled by radiant ceiling panels. Much of the building’s facade is glass, which improves energy efficiency by letting in daylight and external heat.
At the same time, the facade features lattice structures that provide protection from the sun to minimise the consumption of energy for cooling the premises.
The ventilation and lighting systems have been divided into zones that allow the ventilation equipment and groups of lighting fixtures to be switched off when the premises in question are not in use. The plumbing fixtures have been selected with an emphasis on conserving water.
“Another aspect of sustainability is that we favour local suppliers and companies in our purchasing decisions for the property and the construction site even when they are not the cheapest option available,” Kilpeläinen concludes.