We design new properties with an emphasis on long life cycles, versatility, adaptability and making the buildings easy to renovate and repair. In addition to location and accessibility, their construction is guided particularly by energy efficiency and increasing the carbon handprint. Last year, these principles took on a concrete form in our wooden apartment building construction in Espoo’s Nöykkiönlaakso district, for example.
Our mission is to create better urban living. Sustainability and corporate responsibility are integral aspects of our operations and thus increasingly guide our investment decisions concerning property purchases, new construction and repairs. One of our key sustainability criteria is the location and easy accessibility of properties, i.e. short distances to public transport, services and green areas. From the perspective of sustainability, all of our investment decisions also address, at a minimum, energy efficiency, the carbon footprint, the comfort and safety of housing, waste sorting solutions, electric vehicles and car sharing as well as the employment effects of our projects.
We are a long-term property owner and investor. We design our new properties with an emphasis on long life cycles, versatility, adaptability and making the buildings easy to renovate and repair. We select construction materials carefully so that they can be recycled to the greatest possible extent. In addition to location and accessibility, our new construction is guided particularly by energy efficiency and increasing the carbon handprint.
Last year, these principles took concrete form in our wooden apartment building construction in Espoo’s Nöykkiönlaakso district, for example. The increased use of wood supports low-carbon construction, as wood construction involves a larger carbon handprint. It is one of the solutions that help us achieve the Lumo homes target of a property portfolio with carbon-neutral energy consumption by 2030.
“To date, wood has not been used much in the construction of apartment buildings because wood has not been a competitive construction material compared to concrete. However, significant progress has been made in construction technology and the processing of wood as a building material, and timber construction is gradually beginning to establish itself alongside other materials,” says Tommi Parikka, Unit Director, Construction, at Kojamo.
In the wooden apartment buildings in Nöykkiö, sustainability is addressed not only by using eco-friendly construction materials but also other solutions that improve the comfort of residents. The yard will feature shared flower beds, outdoor saunas, club rooms and electric vehicle charging points. The apartments feature apartment-specific ventilation, water-based underfloor heating, high-quality integrated and energy-saving kitchen fixtures, water- and energy-saving plumbing fixtures as well as tall windows that let in plenty of natural light.
We are also creating better urban living in Helsinki’s Puotila district, where we are demolishing an old shopping centre and building new, energy-efficient apartments and business premises in its place, in close proximity to a metro station. Sustainability and observing the principles of circular economy have played a major role in the design of the property. We aim to improve energy efficiency during the construction phase by carefully managing waste recycling during construction, for example.
“We apply the Green Deal approach to demolition at our demolition sites, which means recovering and recycling existing materials as effectively as possible. For example, we can re-use entire doors and windows or find new life for materials through recycling. This means that the share of mixed waste is very small,” says Sanni Husso, Project Manager for newly constructed properties.