Shared facilities and customer service for several government agencies will be built at Kauppakatu 40 in Joensuu. Indoor conditions of the premises will be improved by modernising mechanical and electrical solutions from the ground upwards. Besides well-functioning ventilation and heating, good indoor air is also created through the right choices of material and daily cleaning at the building site. Senate Properties’ building and renovation projects have a carefully thought-out process and multivocational team to ensure good indoor air quality.
The indoor air quality assurance process is supported by a toolkit developed by Senate Properties to ensure the criteria for indoor air quality are met.
“Operating models, instructions and regulations that have been tried and tested in earlier projects have been compiled into a toolkit. All projects involve the appointment of an indoor air quality assurance consultant, who contributes to overseeing compliance with regulations and instructions and to reaching a high-quality outcome,” says Jenni Kotilainen, Indoor Air Expert at Senate, region of Eastern Finland.
Before starting a construction project, an indoor climate classification has been chosen for the building. The goals and requirements of the classification are taken into account in each phase of the project. Indoor climate classification guides the building site and, for example, technical and material choices. Sirpa Kolari from WSP is indoor air quality assurance consultant for the Joensuu government office building.
“The different phases in the quality assurance process and the objects of the phases have been detailed from the design stage right up to commissioning. This is how all matters affecting indoor air, from structures to moisture management and cleanability are taken into account,” Kolari explains.
Besides the architect, designers, indoor air consultant and Senate’s indoor air expert, the team consists of an expert in building services engineering as well as a building site supervisor, each of whom has their own area of responsibility. The quality assurance consultant in this project acts as a moisture management and cleanliness management consultant. Since the Joensuu government office building is mostly built on existing structures and there is no need for much concrete casting, weather protection is the most important aspect in terms of moisture management in the building. Of course, even with smaller floor and wall covering work we comply strictly with instructions that surfaces must be sufficiently dry before they are painted or floor coverings are installed.
“The moisture management report describes the particular moisture management risks to be taken into account in the project design and construction, as well as the conditions and work phases that cause the risks, so that designers and contractors can properly prepare for them,” Kolari says.
Weather protection in Finnish conditions is of the essence when working on the facade or roof of a building. Besides roof insulation, new ventilation machine rooms are installed on the roof. This photo was taken in June.
Good indoor air starts with cleaning already at the construction stage
A cleanliness category for building work and ventilation installations is defined already at the start of a project and this is complied with throughout the project. Cleanliness goals and how they are met are also followed throughout the project.
“This project has made me very happy whenever we have visited the work site. It has been a very clean work site the whole time,” Jenni Kotilainen commends.
Both a cleanliness management plan and detailed cleaning instructions describing the building and the tools to be used and cleaning frequency have been drawn up for the work site.
“Weekly cleaning at a work site is an unknown concept, we clean here daily. And the pace just steps up the nearer the approach of the handover day, when the premises must be clean enough to be immediately brought into use.“
Cleaning with a broom is not allowed at work sites. The vacuum cleaners used at all phases on work sites are class H construction and industrial cleaners, which can safely vacuum also hazardous dusts and carcinogens such as asbestos dust or lead. The vacuums have been fitted with HEPA 13 filters.
Materials do make a difference
Senate Properties requires primarily the use of M1 emission classification building materials in building and renovation projects. Building materials with M1 classification have low emissions and are safe. If the proposed material has non-official M1 classification, there must be sound reasons for choosing it and proof that the material concerned meets safety criteria. There is a separate process in choosing materials: firstly, a list is drawn up of the good and bad properties of all alternative materials. A team, which includes indoor air experts and an interior designer as well as cleaning and property maintenance representatives, then studies the alternatives. Choices of materials have also been reviewed with representatives of the facility users.
“Materials, how they’re installed and the fixatives can be bandied about as many as four or five times before identifying the best solution for the property concerned. The technical aspects of cleaning are also very important: the cleanability of the products also affects good indoor air,” Jenni Kotilainen says.
Various sources of dirt and dust are also taken into account in the design of premises. Photocopiers are not placed in the corner of offices but in separate rooms to prevent paper dust or ozone from some photocopiers from spreading into the environment. If the facilities users have field visits, separate facilities are arranged to clean dirty rubber boots or rainwear. Attention is also paid to the use of scents: detergents are unscented and facilities users are reminded to be considerate to persons who are fragrance sensitive.
“Recent years have seen a really big increase in various fragrance sensitivities. Fragrances can trigger irritation-like symptoms to sensitive persons. Fragrance-free means showing consideration towards colleagues,” Jenni Kotilainen reminds us.
Two indoor air dog teams have gone around all the facilities at Kauppakatu 40 before the start of demolition work. Indoor air detection dogs do pro-active work. If there are strong indications, then we know to examine that point particularly critically. “No structural aspect or damage was found on the premises that the dog would have indicated. One indication was obtained next to the outside door. The dogs thought Kauppakatu 40 was a really boring building,” Jenni Kotilainen laughs.
Cleaners as ambassadors for good indoor air
Senate also focuses on indoor air quality in their properties also once the premises have been handed over to agencies for their use. We react promptly to indoor air feedback from facilities users in accordance with a pre-determined process. Property maintenance is at the scene to establish the cause within 24 hours of indoor air feedback having been submitted. If not obvious cause can be found, the service request is forwarded to the regional indoor air expert, which has a response time of five days.
“We are able to tell clients in five days what we will do about the matter. The matter is usually resolved by then,” says Jenni Kotilainen, Indoor Air Expert at Senate, region of Eastern Finland.
Senate Properties have also trained their cleaners to become their indoor air agents, who collect indoor air observations in conjunction with cleaning. Critical indoor air observations are rewarded financially. The goal is to catch potential problems as early as possible.
“Cleaners observation reports have become an established practice. Their help has allowed us to catch budding defects or damage which could over time have caused great damage and costs over time,” Jenni Kotilainen says.
