HS Turku Fragments have already begun to drip from the façade, but there was no hope for a bank loan

Turku The largest refurbishment project ever in Finland is probably underway in the suburb of Hepokulta. This joint project of seven housing companies includes the renovation of the facades of 26 apartment buildings, line renovations, the conversion of district heating to geothermal energy and, among other things, heat recovery from exhaust air and provisions for solar electricity. The total amount of the repair projects is more than 60 million euros.

The key player in the region is Hepokullan Lämpö oy, whose operations are managed by a board elected by the area’s housing companies. Korjauspartnerit oy is responsible for the planning, project management and supervision of the entire project. Jussi Eronen says that group repairs were a necessary approach in this case, as the housing companies would not have received a loan from the bank for the repairs individually, even though the site is in a good location near the center of Turku.

“Both the pipes and the facades were nearing the end of their useful lives, and the collateral value of the apartments would not have been enough to cover the cost per square meter of the renovation, which was approximately 1,200 euros. However, we were able to show with the help of an external appraiser that the value of the apartments would rise to a sufficient level if the entire area was renovated uniformly, ”says Eronen.

As a financier was obtained from Danske Bank, whose director responsible for housing company finance Ville Roihu says they are happy to take part in group repairs like Hepokulla, where the whole area is put in order at the same time, taking into account environmental and sustainability issues.

He recommends housing companies and property managers to cooperate more actively with each other, as Finland is full of suburbs in the 1960s and 1980s, in some of which group repairs may be the only way to obtain financing.

“Even in growth centers, access to loans is not self-evident if the housing association has been in poor care for years. In the future, the challenges will only increase as regional inequality increases all the time as a result of urbanization and taxonomy requirements start to flow to housing associations within a few years. ”

Correcting the idea is that more housing companies work together to repair their savings to achieve savings in, for example, design and implementation. The goals of area repairs are much the same, but it can also be in the hands of an individual subscriber. In group construction, on the other hand, residents build new housing in cooperation.

The problem has been perceived to be difficult to get group repairs in place, as housing companies seldom talk to each other and have individual, often acute, repair needs. In addition, a variety of input data are required for group corrections.

Even in Hepokulla, the group renovation had to be tuned in for years, even though the housing companies in the area were used to cooperating through their heating company. Eventually, there was a forced crack when pieces began to drip from the facade and there was water damage inside as well.

Jussi Eronen says that he joined the project in the preliminary study phase in 2016. At that time, a wide range of contractor-driven and other consortia participated in the tender.

“The project was originally intended to be a collaborative project, but due to the large project size, there were not enough bids and it was decided to split the project into parts. The line renovations were carried out by four main contractors, but the façade contract was given to one operator, which is a good thing because the area is to have a unified look. ”

With group correction model The total savings achieved in Hepokulla have been calculated to be in the order of 10%, with the total amount of project and implementation planning being approximately 0.5% of the contract amount. According to Erone, this estimate is based on cost comparisons between houses completed in a group renovation and similar renovations made individually.

Savings have been achieved, for example, by ordering in a group and the reproducibility of the implementation. In the future, housing companies can also receive money from the sale of building rights and additional construction on the existing plot. In the pending plan application, ten new 7- to 8-storey point-of-sale buildings have been proposed for construction in Hepokulta.

“There are only 5–6 different floor plans in the entire building mass to be repaired. Thanks to it, we were able to make plans with quite small model changes and offer design work at a 40 percent discount. The savings come directly to the condominiums, ”he promises.

The use of preforms was also considered, but was ultimately limited. For example, the Pilaster chimney element was included in the reviews as one option, but obtaining a building permit for facade alterations was not certain, and this chimney element was not calculated to bring significant cost savings or emission reductions compared to normal solutions.

“Each house to be renovated in a group will be equipped with its own geothermal pumps and wells, the number of which has been optimized taking into account other energy repairs – thermal insulation of facades, window and door renovations and ventilation heat recovery,” says Eronen.

Also efforts have been made to promote the circular economy. The easiest way to utilize demolished concrete crushed stone in roadbeds and other landfills, but in Erosen’s experience, the demolition of bathrooms also offers great potential in the production of bricks and brick tiles.

Due to the large size of the project, the coordination of work has had to be practiced. For example, excavator diggers and scaffolding contractors once fell on the same wall at the same time, which hampered the erection of scaffolding, but in the following housing companies, construction contracts were brought forward as a result of the damage. The drilling of geothermal wells was also started to be done from below.

“The connection details of the plinths have also been thought through more carefully in advance so that the line renovations can proceed more smoothly,” says Eronen.

In one housing company, for example, a balcony renovation may be carried out, in another a facade demolition and in a third thermal insulation. In several houses, internal line renovations are being carried out at the same time, and in addition, in some housing companies, excavation works and drilling of heat wells are being carried out. However, the site has so far managed without an referee.

“The co-operation has played well, although the construction work initially disrupted the erection of the scaffolding somewhat,” Managing Director of Suomen Ohutlevyasennus oy Mikko Jokinen tells about his experiences.

The company the facade contract includes 777 balconies and more than 40,000 square meters of walls in 26 apartment buildings. Efforts have been made to reduce the disadvantages of their renewal by developing the operation of the demolition robot during the project.

“The noise from the demolition work, and through it the complaints made by the residents, has decreased because the robot no longer sticks constantly but rather grabs the concrete and cuts or squeezes it into pieces. This requires a lot of power from the robot, and it needs to be able to work in a very small space, but these things are starting to get better now. ”