Introduction

Ekoviikki is the largest sustainable building site in Finland.  Situated in the Viikki suburb in Helsinki, a range of environmental and energy concepts has been tested in the design and construction of a new housing area.

Objectives and target audience

The main objective for Ekoviikki was to built a new ecological housing area, applying ecological and sustainability guidelines in full urban scale, including innovative energy designs as for example active and passive solar, photovoltaics, heat pumps and energy conservation.  The Ekoviikki Project was divided in two energy-related sub-projects:

Ekoviikki PV Building sub-project:-

• largest photovoltaic application in a residential building in Finland (2002-2003);
• Innovative PV balcony concepts;
• Important reference for PV market development.

Ekoviikki EU solar heating sub-project:-

• largest solar energy project in Finland (1999-2001);
• Innovative solar heating concepts (building integration, combisystems);
• Important reference for solar market development in Finland.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The Ekoviikki project was part of the European Energy demonstration programme Thermie (project ref. REB71/98/FI) under the name “Integration of large-scale solar thermal scheme into a major urban ecological housing area in Helsinki”.
The project was coordinated by Solpros Ay, a Finnish company specializing in solar energy solutions.  Five major builders in the City of Helsinki, ATT; VVO, Skanska, ESY and Helas also participated in the project.
Financial support was received from the European Commission (part of the EU PV-Nord project), the National Technology Agency (TEKES) and the Finnish Ministry of Environment.

Process

In Ekoviikki, special consideration was given to the ecological and sustainable planning principles using the PIMWAG approach.  This method is a multi-criteria evaluation and decision-making method in which five major factors affecting the building’s environmental performance are considered.  The Ekoviikki site was subjected to extensive sustainable planning accounting for energy and environmental improvements, enabling integration of solar energy from the earliest moments and ideas.
The 3 main solar projects implemented in Ekoviikki were:-

• A large solar heating scheme for multi-store apartment houses;
• An innovative BIPV system for a multi-family house;
• A passive sustainable solar house design.

Results

The Ekoviikki site houses 2000 inhabitants and represents a built area of 62,000 m2.  The solar access of the whole site is good and renewable energy and energy efficiency is promoted.  The largest solar projects in Finland are realized in Ekoviikki covering half of the buildings.  In addition, 10 solar heating and 2BIPV systems have been realized in apartment houses.
When finished in year 2010, the Viikki suburb will have over 10,000 inhabitants.  It will represent a high-level sustainable area in urban scale with approaches that can be applied widely in Europe and in northern climates.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The Ekoviikki project has been able to demonstrate that it is possible to improve energy and environmental performing of buildings with low construction costs (only around 5% higher than normal).
According to the results of a satisfaction survey made to the inhabitants of Ekoviikki, the uniqueness and high quality standards of the buildings are very much appreciated. However, the survey also pointed out some concerns regarding the lack of public services, such as public transport, public health and banking services in the area.