The environmental responsibility of the Premico Residential Fund III housing fund transitions from words to action with the GOLD-level LEED certification awarded to Asunto Oy Espoon Feeniks.
With the GOLD-level LEED certification granted to Asunto Oy Espoon Feeniks, the pilot project of Premico’s third housing fund meets the criteria for minimizing environmental impact set for the fund’s properties. The project had previously achieved all six environmental goals of the EU Taxonomy.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an international certification system for green buildings with the goal of reducing environmental impact during both construction and use of the property. The demanding LEED GOLD level requires high performance in various categories, such as site and surroundings, water and energy use, materials, recycling, indoor environmental quality, and design innovations.
Sweco served as the environmental consultant for the project, and Lujatalo was the contractor.
“Constructing with professional pride complies with the certification criteria when the product’s design and location already provide the prerequisites for the certification,” says Janne Sihvonen, the Design Director at Lujatalo.
“The change to the traditional in-house development was a relatively small effort and was still possible in this project even at the end of the interior construction phase. Some of the measures we took in the project included increasing self-sufficient energy production with solar panels to reduce the required purchased energy and replacing water fixtures with products that have lower water flow rates. The carbon footprint calculation included the LCA comparison calculation required by LEED, and the project designers added notations such as entrance arrangements and documentation of expanded monitoring measures.”
According to Tuomas Suur-Uski, Director of Sustainable Development Services at Sweco, Feeniks received full points in LEED for both energy efficiency and renewable energy production. The property is entirely carbon-neutral in terms of energy usage, as it generates electricity from solar and wind power.
“The property’s own solar power plant plays a central role in this,” Suur-Uski notes.
The environmental properties of building materials were considered in Espoon Feeniks from the procurement phase, and a life cycle assessment for emissions was conducted, which was more extensive than a traditional carbon footprint calculation. Environmental values are also evident in the design of the Holmanpuisto residential area in Espoo, with meadow-like stormwater management promoting a park and green roofs that delay rainwater, representing environmental innovations used in the area. Additionally, the area benefits from excellent public transportation connections.
Samuel Tuomola, the Investment Director at Premico, is pleased that things have progressed as planned.
“Asunto Oy Espoon Feeniks is the first completed property of Premico’s third housing fund. We have been able to fulfill the key sustainability criteria of the fund, including the EU Taxonomy criteria for new construction, the use of renewable energy sources, and now the awarded LEED GOLD certification. In addition to environmental matters, we have invested heavily in the quality of the apartments, their functionality, floor plans, surface materials, and public areas. The property clearly stands out from typical rental housing production in terms of quality,” Tuomola concludes.
For more information:
Samuel Tuomola
CIO, Premico
+358 50 566 6111
samuel.tuomola@premico.fi
Janne Sihvonen
Design Director, Lujatalo Oy
+358 44 585 2899
janne.sihvonen@luja.fi
Tuomas Suur-Uski
Director, Sustainable Development Services, Sweco Finland Oy
+358 40 569 4294
tuomas.suur-uski@sweco.fi