SRV, one of Finland’s largest construction companies, pays a lot of attention to the life span-wisdom of buildings. The development manager of the company, Miimu Airaksinen, says that it consists of many components. However, at its core is the wise use of energy–whether it is a question of construction work or an already finished building. According to Airaksinen, SRV strives to systematically minimize the environmental effects of its construction sites.

“Today, all of our construction sites are carbon-neutral. The electricity we use in them is renewable or emission-free. We also utilize carbon-neutral heating if it is available. For our work equipment, we strive to use renewable fuel and we compensate the rest of the possible emissions by planting trees corresponding to the amount of emissions,” she states.

Carbon-neutral district heating for Oulu’s construction sites

All of SRV’s construction sites are carbon-neutral in Oulu, too. According to Miimu Airaksinen, the construction company keeps them warm with the carbon-neutral district heating Onni brought to the market by Oulun Energia last year.

“Just recently I was in touch with Oulun Energia concerning our new construction sites and the carbon-neutral district heating that is being established in them,” she laughs.

Life span-wisdom concerns not only active construction, but also finished buildings. A wise finished building does not waste energy. Of course it uses energy, but this energy is produced in a renewable and emission-free manner. It is also possible to optimize the energy use in a way that the conditions in a building are pleasant while its energy use is as minimal as possible.

The materials must be correctly selected

The choice of construction materials is also significant. The materials must be low in emissions. It is as important that they can be recycled when the building reaches the end of its service life. We absolutely also cannot forget that the buildings must provide the conditions for wellbeing and easy daily life. Development manager Miimu Airaksinen emphasizes that the call for life span-wisdom is also gradually gaining ground in the construction industry more generally.

“Even customers are increasingly calling for responsible and wise construction. This is especially true of professional customers such as investors. A building isn’t interesting unless climate and environmental issues are taken into account in it,” she notes.

The article was originally published in the Oulun Energia customer magazine in January 2022. Text by Kari Arokylä.