Ilmalanlinna office buildings in Helsinki Finland switched to carbon-neutral geoenergy
The Ilmalanlinna office complex, consisting of five buildings and spanning 35,000 square meters, switched to carbon-neutral geoenergy in the spring of 2024. The property chose to implement this sustainable energy solution through Adven’s partnership model, successfully reducing its carbon dioxide emissions to zero.
The Ilmalanlinna office buildings are located along the busy main road in Helsinki, Finland and in the center of a public transport hub. Despite being built in two phases, the buildings form a unified property. The first three buildings (A-C) were completed in 2015, and in the spring of 2023, they were followed by two new office buildings (D-E) constructed on top of the old parking garage.
From the outset, sustainable solutions have been a priority in the construction. Switching to a fully carbon-neutral energy solution was also a key goal for the property. Now, the heating and cooling are produced CO2-free through Adven’s EaaS solution, based on renewable geoenergy.
The properties are managed by CBRE, and the tenants include companies such as Sweco, Uponor, Netox and DNA. “Ilmalanlinna is one of the largest and most environmentally friendly office properties managed by CBRE, and one of the most environmentally friendly office properties in the Helsinki region,” says Federico Waltari, Director, Property Operations at CBRE.
The Ilmalanlinna office buildings in Helsinki are located along a busy main road.
Credits: Kuvauspalvelu Vesa Voitto Sakari
Focus on waste heat recovery
Ilmalanlinna’ s five office buildings are supplied with heating, domestic hot water and cooling from two Adven geoenergy plants located in the parking garage under the office buildings. Adven’s energy solution is designed with a focus on security of supply and the efficient utilization of excess heat, which is why several small ground source heat pumps were chosen instead of one large one. They are easier to maintain, as heat production does not depend on just one pump.
During the summer, when the property is cooled, condensate energy is stored by means of a heat exchanger in a geoenergy field that acts as an energy storage similar to a battery. So nothing is wasted!
Geoenergy plants produce about three gigawatt-hours of energy annually. The property’s entire cooling energy demand is met using geoenergy and in the future, geoenergy itself will cover about 98 per cent of heating energy demand. During exceptionally cold weather, peak demand will be met by two electric boilers, which also serve as backup systems for energy production.
Adven uses certified wind electricity in its electric boiler and ground source heat pumps, which enables completely carbon-neutral heating and cooling.
An exceptional project completed on schedule
The geoenergy project was carried out in two phases. The first phase covered buildings A-C. Drilling of the geowells, which took six months, began in July 2023. During the winter and spring of 2024, the buildings were switched from district heating and cooling to geoenergy-based heating and cooling produced by Adven.
The geothermal system for buildings D-E was constructed simultaneously with the geothermal field for the ABC buildings. Construction of the energy center for buildings D-E continued after the energy center for ABC building’s was completed. The project’s geothermal fields for both energy centers were combined into a unified whole. This was completed on schedule, and the buildings D-E switched to Adven’s energy production in May 2024.
Most of the site’s 54 geowells were drilled under the property’s parking garage because the property is located on a cramped plot and there was not enough space for geowells outside the building.
Drilling geowells under the parking garage of an existing building is exceptional, and Ilmalanlinna was an exceptionally large and challenging parking garage project. The schedule was tight and the parking garage remained in use throughout the project, so there was limited working space and it required careful planning of the work phases.
Another exception to a normal geoproject was the drilling of geowells to a depth of up to 600 metres in order to extract sufficient energy from the soil.
Due to the challenging conditions at the site, special attention was paid to occupational safety throughout the project. The drilling phase in the parking garage was the most critical phase of the project in terms of occupational safety. The construction site boundaries had to be carefully planned to ensure the safe passage of parking garage users to the office building, while also maintaining safe working conditions for the crew, who were working amidst ongoing traffic within the garage.
“We have previously executed drilling of geowells in the parking garage, but never at this scale and under these conditions. We completed the challenging project on schedule and with honor. The technical implementation of the energy plant is advanced and the plant works very well. During the first months, energy production has proceeded as expected,” says Ilkka Tahvola, Project Manager at Adven.
Geoenergy as a service is maintenance-free and effortless
The energy solution for Ilmalanlinna’s properties has been implemented using Adven’s Energy as a Service® (EaaS) service model, which means implementing the entire energy solution on a turnkey basis, from design to finished implementation, its financing and energy production and continuous maintenance.
The property’s energy production is monitored and operated 24/7 from Adven’s operational center. Geoenergy plants are highly automated, and fault situations are avoided through proactive monitoring. The operational center also plays a key role in optimizing the plant’s performance, focusing on energy efficiency and plant availability.
Buying energy as a service is particularly suitable for property owners looking to implement sustainable energy solutions while keeping a neutral impact on their balance sheet.
Federico WaltariDirector, Property Operations, CBRE
“The facilities are located on the property and can be redeemed according to the agreement, but the property owner isn’t required to make the investment right away, they have the option to redeem it later if desired. Another significant advantage is the maintenance-free operation. Properties accumulate various costs over the years, so this solution is hassle-free, as Adven takes full responsibility for the operation, warranties, and maintenance of the energy plant,” says Federico Waltari.
When a real estate energy solution is implemented using Adven’s partnership model, the property benefits solely from the end results—reduced and stable energy costs along with CO2 reductions. All other activities, investments, and risks related to energy production are our responsibility, says Jarmo Maunu, Adven’s Sales Director for Real Estate Energy Solutions.
“Geoenergy was the right solution for a property of this size”
Thanks to geoenergy, Ilmalanlinna’s properties are completely self-sufficient in heating and cooling. According to Federico Waltari, geoenergy was a more competitive alternative compared to district heating and cooling. It also enhances the property’s appeal in potential rental decisions, as it presents a more attractive and sustainable option for prospective tenants.
“This has proven to be a far more stable and cost-effective energy solution compared to traditional district heating and cooling. We benefit from clear, consistent invoicing and a reduced risk of price increases. It has made budgeting easier, as we can easily estimate our annual heating and cooling costs,” Waltari says.
The main reasons why we chose geoenergy were its competitive price, sustainability and self-sufficiency. Geoenergy was the right solution for a property of this size. I recommend buying energy as a service to all property owners.
Federico WaltariDirector, Property Operations, CBRE
A carbon-neutral energy solution resulting from successful collaboration
Federico Waltari says that CBRE chose Adven as a partner based on previous positive experiences and the energy solution Adven proposed.
“Adven’s proposal for the energy solution for the Ilmalanlinna property was the most competitive. The cooperation with Adven has been excellent throughout this project, from sales and concept development to final implementation. One major advantage has been having the same main contact person throughout the project, which has greatly simplified the process,” Waltari says.
“Since the completion of the project, the heating and cooling of the property has worked flawlessly, and we haven’t received any feedback on issues from tenants. I hope that our excellent cooperation will continue also in the future and that Adven continues to bring new development ideas so we can together further enhance the property’s value and sustainability scores,” he continues.
“Ilmalanlinna is an excellent example of how smart planning and execution can enable the implementation of a carbon-neutral energy solution, even for an existing property on a cramped and challenging plot. A sustainable energy solution cuts the property’s CO2 emissions to zero and also reduces the customer’s annual energy costs,” summarizes Jarmo Maunu.
More infomation
Jarmo Maunu, Sales Director, Adven, puh. 050 320 2622, jarmo.maunu@adven.com
Read more about the different phases of the project:
Ilmalanrinne will soon use renewable geoenergy
Office building in Helsinki switches to geoenergy
Read more about geoenergy and real estate solutions:
Adven’s energy solutions for large properties
Carbon neutrality increases existing property value
Did you know this about geoenergy?
Project in numbers
- 35,000 m2 property complex
- 5 office buildings along the busiest highway in the Helsinki metropolitan area and in a public transport hub
- The geoenergy solution reduces the CO2 emissions of the site by 460 tonnes per year
- Implementation in two phases, the first phase completed in February 2024 and the second phase in May 2024
- 54 geowells, of which 41 are approx. 300 m deep and 13 approx. 400-600 m deep
- A total of 15 ground source heat pumps in two energy centres
- Total energy production approximately 3 GWh
- Two electric boilers for backup and peak consumption
- 24/7 monitored geoenergy plan