SATO's new wooden apartment building: partially powered by solar panels
14 March 2017
SATO Corporation, press release, 14th March 2017 at 2:30 p.m.
SATO's supply of rental homes is becoming even more diverse thanks to the low-energy buildings completed in the Honkasuo area of Helsinki. The apartment buildings and terraced property of the complex have timber structures and their energy-efficiency is more than one-fifth better than current standard requirements.
- We want to develop new construction towards a more energy-efficient and sustainable direction and offer our customers smarter housing alternatives. Once experience is gained of new energy sources, we can further consider how the environmental burden of housing can be reduced even more, says SATO Construction Developer Esa Vatanen.
Real estate electricity for all SATO buildings is generated using Finnish wind power. For the Honkasuo low-energy buildings, real estate electricity is partially sourced from solar panels located on the roof. Heating for the property comes from the district heating system.
The Honkasuo buildings are not SATO's first energy-efficient rental properties. SATO has apartment buildings utilizing geothermal heat in Soukka, Espoo, and a property with solar panels is under construction in the new Vermonniitty residential area also in Espoo. The energy-efficiency performance of the wooden buildings in Honkasuo is, however, higher than that of low-energy buildings and meets the requirements set for passive buildings by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
- The structures of these homes are mainly made of Finnish conifer wood, and their bathrooms and toilets have wet underfloor heating and other rooms feature forced-aid heating. There is no need for traditional radiators, Vatanen adds.
The Honkasuo apartments also have water-saving fittings, and LED light bulbs and motion sensors are used in the lighting of common areas. The efficiency of air heat recovery is also above the normal rate.
The sizes of the 58 rental homes completed in February at Leirikuja 3 range from 39.5 sqm one-bedrooms to 77 sqm two-bedroom homes. The property was designed by Vuorelma Architects and constructed by Rakennusliike Reponen Oy.
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For more information please contact:
Esa Vatanen, Construction Developer, p. +358 201 34 4430 or +358 50 581 5771
Kati Kniivilä, Head of Sustainability, p. +358 201 34 4106 or +358 40 518 6931
SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO's aim is to offer comprehensive alternatives in rental housing and an excellent customer experience. SATO holds roughly 25,300 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg.
In our operations, we promote sustainable development and initiative-taking, and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to create added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing property through investments, divestments and repair work.
SATO Group's net sales in 2016 were €318.0 million, operating profit €267.2 million and profit before taxes €219.4 million. SATO's investment properties have a value of roughly €3.4 billion.