Kesko's logistics center, the size of twelve football fields, gets its energy from the earth, the sun, and a little bit of the waste heat of well-to-do residents.
Onnela is Kesko's brand new logistics center in Hyvinkää.
The Onnela logistics center in Hyvinkää is the largest single construction project in Kesko's history and, measured in cubic meters, the largest ongoing construction site in Finland. Speaking of which, it's impossible to avoid massive number facts.
21 kilometers of rainwater pipes have been laid in Onnela. Onnela pile slab was cast for 10 months. Onnela has almost 100 subcontractors. The logistics center could fit 12 football fields.
And so on.
In addition to its size, Onnela's investments in the logistics center's responsibility make it exceptional.
"In planning and building Onnella, special attention has been paid to reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint. It's a way to reduce costs and emissions during the property's long life cycle," Kesko's building engineering developer manager Ilpo Marttinen says.
When talking about Onnela's energy solution, yet another superlative comes to mind: Hyvinkään Lämpövoima Oy is building Finland's largest district heat return heating solution in Onnela.
Hyvinkää residents' waste heat in efficient use
Onnela's energy solution as a whole is – perhaps you already guessed – exceptional both in terms of its size and technical solutions.
"The main form of heating is geothermal heat. All electricity and heat used in the logistics center is renewable. Our own solar power plant has already been completed on the site, which on sunny days covers the electricity needs of the entire construction site and more," Marttinen lists.
Almost a hundred geothermal wells have been drilled on the site. Instead of traditional HFC refrigerants, heat pumps use a natural refrigerant, i.e. carbon dioxide. This is quite unique and new in the field and in similar areas.
In addition to geothermal heat, district heat return heating can be used on the construction site from autumn 2024. In practice, Onnela is connected to the district heat transmission pipes running between Riihimäki and Hyvinkää. District heating can then be used as usual on the construction site, but in addition, the already cooled district heating water returning from Hyvinkää to Riihimäki can be utilized.
A solution that utilizes waste heat and improves the efficiency of the entire district heating system is made possible by Onnela's location near the district heating pipes.
We decided on hybrid heating for many reasons.
"Thanks to the return heating solution, we are not dependent on a single energy source. District heating is used to support ground heat if its power is not sufficient for the needs of the logistics center on cold, sub-zero days. The solution also makes sense if the price of electricity were to become high in the future or electricity should be saved for some reason," explains Marttinen.
Onnela's main form of heating is geothermal, but the plot also has its own solar power plant.
Improve energy efficiency with structural and technical solutions
Managing environmental impacts is a daily activity at Kesko, and minimizing climate and nature impacts is one of the main themes of Kesko's responsibility work.
"At Onnela, the aim is to reduce emissions with renewable and low-carbon forms of energy, but also with energy-efficient structural and technical solutions. The best energy efficiency is the economical and necessary use of energy."
Kesko's construction manager Jouko Räisänen
In order to save energy, a lot of attention has been paid to the insulation of the walls and ceilings of the logistics center and the tightness of the structures.
Heat leaks are prevented by door curtain devices installed in almost a hundred doorways, which keep the heat inside and the cold outside in the doorways of the loading areas. In the summer heat, the air curtain formed by the fans protects the indoor spaces from heat and outdoor air pollutants.
The building technology that controls the property's heating, cooling and lighting also utilizes as much energy-saving automation as possible.
"Everything started from the goals, which were reducing the carbon footprint and energy efficiency. An extraordinary amount of time and resources were used for energy planning and the analysis of different alternatives. Thorough planning and careful implementation will pay off in the coming years in terms of both money and energy savings," says Räisänen.
Logistics center Onnela
The logistics center Onnela, which will be used by Onninen and K-Auto, has an area of approximately 85 square meters. The center will be commissioned at the end of 000, when it will become a workplace for 2025–400 logistics professionals.
Building Onnela is part of Kesko's growth strategy. Kesko is investing around 300 million euros in the project.
The environmental and nature values of the project have been taken into account in the construction since the beginning. The ecologist appointed to the project has inventoried the natural values of the plot and is investigating alternatives to compensate the natural values in cooperation with the city.
In Onnela's design and construction, special attention has been paid to reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Low-carbon concrete has been used in the on-site concrete castings.
A lot of effort has been put into the insulation and tightness of the building's walls and ceilings. In the building technology that controls heating, cooling and lighting, energy-saving automation is used as much as possible. The main form of heating is geothermal heat.
All electricity used in the logistics center is renewable, and a solar power plant will be built on the site. The goal is to get the building a Very Good level BREEAM environmental rating.
Onnela's logistics center is implemented as a project management service together with Haahtela. In addition to traditional developer tasks, Haahtela is responsible for the site's main contractor tasks.