The design of the office building Ilmala Aura, which will be completed next year, has been guided by responsibility and environmental values. The design of Aura, which is aiming for the LEED Gold level of the environmental certificate, has also comprehensively considered the criteria according to the EU taxonomy. When completed Ilmala Aura will be one of the first buildings in Finland to comply with the EU taxonomy.
The aim of the EU taxonomy is to promote six EU environmental goals. These include e.g. mitigation of climate change, transition to a circular economy, prevention and reduction of environmental pollution and adaptation to climate change. The principles related to the taxonomy have been effective since the beginning of 2022, when the design work of Ilmala Aura had just started.
Also, getting the LEED Gold certificate requires responsible thinking right from the beginning of project development stage. Among the LEED criteria, Ilmala Aura’s strengths have been e.g. central location close to public transport. The train station is only a stone’s throw away and the tram stop is located next to the building.
Cyclists are also well considered in Aura’s facilities and a covered storage area is reserved for bicycles. Electric car drivers are pampered in the parking garage where up to 50% of the parking spaces are suitable for electric car charging. This is much more than the certificates require and it can be said that Ilmala Aura has comprehensively prepared for the future in terms of the green transition brought about by the revolution in motoring.
Investments have been made in the building’s energy efficiency and the building itself also produces renewable energy. On the roof of the office building aprox. 30 solar panels are placed which produce a total of 7 MWh / year. Energy efficiency is also increased by the recovery of heat during use which is utilized e.g. for heating. The green roof insulates heat in winter and cools in summer.
The building’s ventilation has also been considered from an environmental perspective. Ilmala Aura has CO2-based indoor air quality and ventilation control. In addition to this, low-emission interior paints, adhesives, sealants and floor surfaces are used in the interior of the office building. Attention has also been paid to water consumption and efforts have been made to reduce it indoors.
Recycling construction waste during construction is a normal practice in Hartela. The circular economy has also been supported at Ilmala Aura by bringing ores and soil locally. The carbon footprint created by construction has been increased the mostly by the steel frame structures and the energy consumption of the construction site. During the building’s life cycle the carbon footprint decreases and the carbon handprint, i.e. the positive environmental impact, is increased by e.g. in addition to energy efficiency, also wooden exterior walls.
In the 50-year review period according to the evaluation method of the Ministry of the Environment, the total carbon footprint of Ilmala Aura’s life cycle is 7.2 kg CO2e/m2/a and the construction site 0.4 kg CO2e/m2/a.
