metsä group headquarters

Ventilation renovation renewed the working environment in a head office

The Finnish Metsä Group’s headquarters in Tapiola, Espoo, is known as one of the world’s most important centres of forest industry expertise. As part of a larger renovation project, the ventilation and cooling of the building was renewed in a careful service contracting project between 2016 and 2019.

The aim of the modernisation of the ventilation and cooling system was to improve the comfort and convenience of the working environment and, as a result, to enhance work efficiency. The project required extensive opening of the structures, so the main phases of the work were scheduled during the holiday season. Other noise-generating work was scheduled either before 6.30 a.m. or after 7.30 p.m. In other words, service contracting at its best.

– The project was divided into six phases. It was carried out one floor at a time in order to allow the head office staff to continue working without disruption. The idea was to allow employees to return from holidays directly to the refurbished working environment. The technical changes included replacing the supply air machine and adding nozzle diffusers to increase distribution of supply air, optimising the floor-by-floor ventilation controls and automating the control of the cooling equipment, says Teemu Kallio, ventilation engineer and sales director at LVI-Trio.

– The key to the implementation was to bring new technology alongside the old and enable both to work for a certain period of time. Such a two-track tactic requires careful planning and sizing to ensure that the new and old technology can coexist, says Teemu Kallio.

– In a demanding renovation project, cooperation between the contractor, the client and the building’s technical property manager is key. This project was a good example of how common goals and mutual support create success.

Office renovation projects are naturally often scheduled for the summer months, Teemu Kallio says.

– For technical installations professionals, July is actually the busiest season of the year. When office users are on holiday, we can work on renovations efficiently. In addition, during the warm summer months, cooling equipment in many buildings often needs maintenance and repairs, so there’s plenty to do on the service side, too.