Indoor air problems in schools and kindergartens burden about one in four Finnish children. Significant moisture and mold damage occurs in schools and kindergartens in 12–18 percent of the floor area. There is damage especially in old properties. Not all indoor air problems are caused by errors in design or construction, but are often caused by deficiencies in maintenance and upkeep. The municipal offices have a total of more than five billion euros in repair debt.
Planned property maintenance and proactive repairs reduce problems and public sector costs in the long term. However, renovating buildings that have reached a very bad condition is not reasonable or cost-effective. More than half of the properties for early childhood education and basic education are more than 40 years old, and a large part originates from the 1960s and 70s. Because of the structures that were in accordance with the building regulations of the time, which have since proven to be risky, and due to the damage that has already occurred, it is often no longer possible to repair the properties to make them safe.
The best thing is to solve the need for space holistically. A healthy work environment is a basic issue that has a clear effect on well-being, school enjoyment and learning results. The new spaces can be designed to be modified and multi-purpose, in which case they also meet the requirements of the new curriculum.
In the short term is important
- prevent health hazards, for example, by means of evacuation facilities and further damage to buildings by necessary repairs
- adjusts the building technology of the buildings and keeps the ventilation machines always on
- divides the municipality's properties into those that can be preserved and those that can be replaced according to plan.
In the medium term, it is important
- determine future space requirements and measure the number of properties according to available resources
- to reserve resources for construction and maintenance and for future public properties investment places in formulas and
- introduces life-cycle and partnership models that make it easier to predict costs and allocate resources to maintenance and upkeep of properties.
In the long run is important
- build new service centers where several public functions are concentrated
- sell or demolish abandoned buildings.
In addition, an indoor air expert must be involved in the repair projects and the principles of dry construction must be extended to the construction projects of all municipalities. The new Kuivaketju10 guidelines must be widely adopted, and requirements for moisture management must be added to contract contracts.
An easy way to prevent indoor air problems in both old and new schools is to keep mechanical ventilation on all the time. If, for example, the ventilation is stopped for reasons of energy saving during weekends and holidays, the replacement air coming through the structures uncontrollably can spoil the indoor air. In this case, moisture and impurities also accumulate in the ducts, which start moving when the ventilation is started again. Even in new buildings, mechanical ventilation must be kept constantly on, so that VOC emissions that evaporate from building and interior materials are washed out of the indoor air.
Impact on the national economy
In total, the cost of health damage caused by mold damage in public buildings is estimated at 450 million euros per year. The costs of the mold and moisture problem must be examined as a whole from the point of view of both the municipal economy and the state economy. The state should consider various support measures to improve the construction stock of municipalities.
Repairing and replacing mold schools and daycare centers with new buildings ties up resources, but at the same time creates a buzz in the economy and accumulates tax revenue. In a period of zero interest rates, the investment would be particularly profitable: for example, investing 1,5 billion euros in the treatment of significant mold and moisture damage would pay for itself in 3 years. Even a construction investment of one hundred million euros has an employment effect of 1 person-years.
See also what has been done in the construction industry to address this issue:
Sources:
- Senate properties: Report on state participation in the repair and new construction of municipal properties 21.7.2014 July XNUMX
- Publication 1/2012 of the Parliamentary Audit Committee, available at: https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/tietoaeduskunnasta/julkaisut/Documents/trvj_1+2012.pdf
- The decision-maker's home guide, available: http://www.hometalkoot.fi/file/15858.pdf
- The cost of health damage caused by mold is 450 million euros per year: https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/tiedotteet/Sivut/Homevaurioiden%20terveyshaittojen%20hinta%20on%20450%20miljoonaa%20euroa%20vuodessa.aspx