The reference story was created for Paroc Owens Corning
The Nova Hospital on Kukkumäki’s 5.5-hectare plot is undoubtedly a large-scale project. Nova is currently Finland’s only new hospital under construction: a 8-storey, 250-meter-long and 100-meter-wide building with a total floor area of 108,500 gross square meters.
Nova is for the main contractor SRV, but also for many other construction companies involved in the building project, the largest project ever. – Nova is the largest building technology project in the history of our company, says Jukka Peltonen, CEO of KSPT Insulation Oy, which manages Nova’s ventilation ducts and pipe insulation installations.
According to Peltonen, Nova employs 10 to 15 installers on a full-time basis for two years. – The project started for us in summer 2018 and will end in spring 2020.
A surprisingly simple pipe insulation project
Peltonen has also worked as a Project Manager on the project. – Nova has progressed astonishingly well in relation to its proportions. I think it´s because of well-managed project planning that involved different stakeholders and experts right from the start, he thinks.
Janne Hongisto, the KSPT Foreman at Nova project, agrees with Peltonen, but also gives some criticism of the design. – It is very typical that when designing the pipes for a site, the design phase does not take into account that space must also accommodate insulation. This was also the case with Nova.
However, Hongisto agrees with Peltonen that Nova as a project has progressed surprisingly smoothly. – Even on the smallest sites, there are surprises, but Nova has been a positive exception from the mainstream. I think everyone involved in the project has realized that when building a hospital, one has to manage their own plot with the utmost precision.
High criteria for products
The hospital environment place higher demands on materials than usual. As Nova has only been selected to meet the highest quality standards, Paroc products are used to isolate ventilation ducts and piping. According to Peltonen, at the time of the interview, the plumbing and ventilation ducts of Nova’s engine room, car park and central kitchen have been flooded with a tremendous amount of Paroc’s technical insulation. – So far, we have installed 12,000 m2 of laminate flooring, 19,000 m2 of insulation gutter and almost 4,000 m2 of piping fire insulation – and more is to come.
Fire Insulation New Black
Ventilation duct fire insulation was changed during the project as Paroc introduced a new fire insulation product family PAROC Hvac Fire BlackCoat to replace Comfort. – We recently got to test a new BlackCoat solution clad with black aluminum laminate as a fire insulation for ventilation ducts. According to the feedback from the site, the experiences are good, Peltonen says.
Foreman Hongisto has first-hand knowledge of how the product has worked in daily work. – According to the installers, PAROC Hvac Fire BlackCoat is the best fire insulation. Compared to BlackCoat’s predecessor, the gauze-covered Comfort, the installation work is smoother because the product is rigid and thus faster to install. The aluminum surface of the BlackCoat also feels thicker, so the surface does not tear during the installation process. It has thus acquired its place in a project such as Nova, where special attention must be paid to dust and indoor air quality.
A neat surface tones
Surprisingly, special mention is made of the appearance of the product among both men. – Thanks to the black surface, the appearance of the installation is of a very high standard. Many have said that the end result looks so good that it would be nice to leave the surfaces visible, Hongisto says.
Hospital Nova
- Developed by Central Finland Hospital District
- Developer consultant Ramboll CM Oy
- Project management contractor SRV Rakennus Oy
- Architectural Design JKMM Oy
- IV Planning Granlund Oy
- Construction began on 8/2016
- The gross floor area of the property is 108,500 square meters
- Completed in 2020
Hospital Nova in figures
- 360 examination and reception rooms
- 24 operating rooms
- 10 birthing rooms
Text: Commia Oy / Mia Heiskanen
