Hartela completes new premises for the Blood Service at Vehkala in Vantaa

Executed using the partnership model, the project was completed as planned and will be delivered to the Blood Service for occupation in July 2022.

The new premises of the Blood Service are located beside Vehkala railway station and thus have excellent logistical connections. The project was launched with a development phase in early 2019, and construction began in May 2020. The Blood Service will be occupying the new premises after this summer.

The building has a total gross floor area of 9,000 sq.m. and contains all the modern facilities required by the Blood Service to manage blood product supply for the whole of the country. The building contains advanced laboratories built to exacting standards. Humidity and temperature must be precisely controllable, for instance. For Hartela, the project was a challenging one because of the high technical quality required, but an interesting one.

“Construction-time choices were governed by the quality of indoor air and climate control. The building also contains a certified clean room. The project further involved solutions geared to low energy consumption, such as energy-efficient HVAC machinery, LED lighting and electric taps that conserve water. The building services and particularly the reliability of the facilities under extraordinary circumstances were very much in focus in the project,” says Ilmari Hämäläinen, Project Development Manager at Hartela.

“This is an excellent example of the Hartela partnership model, where we provide solutions that are added value for the client, beginning with the choice of plot and extending to understanding the needs of the end users of the facilities,” he continues.

“The facilities cater to our needs excellently. They are modern and flexibly adaptable. If our operational needs change, we can reorganise the premises. The location is logistically excellent, along major transport routes and near the airport. There is a railway station next door, so public transport can take you almost to our doorstep,” says Pia Westman, Director of the Blood Service.

The new building is owned by Fastighets Ab Balder, and the Blood Service is their tenant.

“The new premises were designed in close collaboration with the Blood Service so as to be the best suited for their important mission. Partnering with Hartela has worked well, allowing development of plans and solutions at the construction phase with a view to the users’ needs,” says Erik Selin, CEO of Fastighets Ab Balder.

“We warmly welcome the Blood Service to Vehkala! We are happy that such a societally important operator has chosen to relocate to Vantaa, bringing jobs to the area. The new premises were built using resources wisely, and employees will have an easy commute using public transport, as the site is next to a railway station. All this feeds into the goal of the City of Vantaa to be carbon-neutral by 2030. We are in this together,” says Ritva Viljanen, City Manager of Vantaa, with appreciation.

The production, laboratory, storage and administration functions of the Blood Service will relocate from Kivihaka in Helsinki to Vehkala in Vantaa in autumn 2022. The blood donation function will remain in Kivihaka for the time being. New premises will be found for the blood donation function later.

A Silver level LEED environmental certificate is being sought for the new site.