The article has been published in June 2021 in Wood magazine 1/2021.

Read The article in Finnish: Vantaalle nousee hiilinegatiivinen hirsipäiväkoti

Next year, the Rekola district of Vantaa will be home to a day care centre that is more good than bad for the climate. The carbon footprint of the log building that won the call for tender is smaller than usual for similar buildings. And since its carbon handprint is larger than its carbon footprint, the climate impact of the plan stays on the plus side. The day care centre is the result of collaboration by Hoivarakentajat and Honkarakenne.

The Koivukylä day care centre is designed to be as energy efficient as possible. Solutions such as high-efficiency faucets, smart building services, energy-efficient lighting, a heat pump, and solar panels reduce costs. In the competition, the City of Vantaa compared the carbon footprint calculations of the proposals and separately evaluated the outcome of the construction phase: The CO₂ emissions caused by harvesting the raw materials, transport, and manufacture (118 kg/m²) were significantly lower in the Hoivarakentajat and Honkarakenne proposal than what is average for buildings (250 kg/m²).

According to the plan’s calculations, the building’s carbon footprint is 9.52 kg/m²/a, which means the building emits 9.52 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per heated net square metre annually. The corresponding carbon handprint for the building is -10 kg/m²/a, which means that calculations show that 10 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per heated net square metre are avoided each year once the building is built.

“The Koivukylä day care centre plan is a good example of how we work to curb climate change and create a healthy and sustainable urban environment,” says Juha Vuorenmaa, construction manager for the City of Vantaa. “Our strategy calls for climate values to influence our decision-making. That’s why we piloted including the building’s carbon footprint as part of the tender evaluation. Using Finnish logs as a material is a good fit with our requirements.”

For more information in Finnish, see: www.hoivarakentajat.fi

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