Atria’s new poultry factory increases Finnish production by 40%

Demand for poultry meat has already been on the rise in Finland and globally for decades. The expansion to Atria’s factory in Nurmo increases Finnish poultry production by 40%. The factory’s design is based on a high-quality, hygienic and sustainable production process.

Demand for poultry meat has already been on the rise in Finland and abroad for 30 years and, through Atria, a cluster of expertise in the industry has been established in Nurmo, Seinäjoki. “We provide about 1,600 people with jobs throughout the year, as well as hundreds of seasonal workers,” says Reijo Äijö, Atria’s Vice President, Technology. In 2021, the company’s largest individual investment began in Nurmo, a 180-metre long poultry factory with an area of over three hectares with reception and processing areas and its own energy centre. “Our goal is to have a long-serving, high-quality, energy-efficient and low-maintenance poultry factory.”

The principal designer’s duties were divided between Liark Oy and Sweco. “Liark handled the building permission process, while we were in charge of technology and the co-ordination of various engineering duties and their schedules,” says Principal Designer Arto Tenhovuori from Sweco. There were more than 30 planning meetings documented by Tenhovuori. “I had to bring together the processes and the site’s architecture, structural solutions, building services and equipment acquisitions.”

The project also involved more than 20 building information model co-ordination meetings. “We aimed to ensure the compatibility of technology with the building, and the project’s hybrid model was an essential tool in co-ordinating the planning phase,” says BIM Coordinator Miika Juntunen from Sweco.

Hygienic structures and high-quality conditions

The manufacturing of food products requires cooled, clean spaces that must be kept separate from office environments, for example. “Hygiene was the most important parameter, which is why we used a lot of stainless steel and kept the number of horizontal surfaces that gather dust minimal in the premises that are cleaned with water,” says Project Manager Pasi Marttinen from Sweco. “In addition, we ensured that all seams and joints are tight enough and that there are no areas that are difficult to clean in the premises.”

Due to its enormous size, the factory was designed as several blocks that are separated from each other with expansion joints. “This ensures that the elements withstand the thermal movement of the building,” says Marttinen. Thanks to large spans, the number of pillars and partition walls in the production premises is small, which allows for easy adaptability and moving the production lines over the next decades. “Adaptability also ensures that maintenance downtimes and other disruptions are kept to a minimum.”

One of the key principals of Atria’s operations is the sustainable handling of farm animals. This requires the possibility of controlling the conditions. Poultry generate a great deal of heat, so the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide content of the reception area must be kept at an ideal level. For this purpose, the services of Sweco’s Senior Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Engineer Eero Kokkonen were used. “Thanks to CFD, achieving the ideal indoor climate conditions, even during heat waves, was ensured already during the planning phase.”

A large factory requires large fire compartments

No standard industrial solutions could be applied in the factory’s premises that are cleaned with water, as the light, mineral wool-filled sandwich elements are not suitable for the food industry. Sweco was in charge of moisture and cleanliness control in the planning phase, and modern urethane elements were suggested as a solution. “Their burning behaviour has improved, but the solution is atypical and required a good explanation to the fire authority,” says Tenhovuori.

Sweco’s Fire Safety Expert Antti Hult emphasises that the fire safety planning of an industrial facility always requires cooperation with the authorities. “Every production plant is so unique that case-specific interpretations and choices have to made.”

Due to the size of the factory and the nature of operations, the fire compartments in Nurmo are exceptionally large, which required the building to be equipped with an automatic extinguishing system. In addition, an EI-Mi120 firewall was set up between the production facilities and the office area. “Thanks to this solution, the premises are considered to be separate buildings in terms of fire protection, which allows for independent and techo-economically the best possible fire protection solutions for different sections of the building.”

Type solutions developed together

The collaboration between Atria and Sweco dates back to the 1980s. “A culture of doing things together has evolved, and Atria’s active role in the planning process is particularly rewarding,” says Marttinen.

According to Äijö, this is an important part of Atria’s operating culture. “A high-quality process is our top priority, which is why we want to know all the solutions and processes that affect it.”

A long history with the same design agency makes it possible to use and develop proven type solutions and established practices in projects. “We also trust that Sweco has the ability to challenge us when it comes to new solutions, whenever necessary.”