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Shopping centre Seppä

Project

Shopping Centre Seppä (Jyväskylä)

Implementer

Sweco Talotekniikka Oy and Sweco Rakennetekniikka Oy

Commission

HVAC, automation and electrical engineering and structural engineering

Client

Are Oy (building services engineering) and Skanska Talonrakennus Oy (structural engineering)

Year of implementation

2012–2017

Scope

55,000 brm²

Results

LEED Platina environmental certificate; low-energy complex; semi-heated parking garage for 600 cars and 110 bicycles; hybrid ventilation and extraction system for the parking garage saved tens of thousands of euros in investment costs; largest charging point for electric vehicles in Central Finland; room-specific cooling with remote control; water consumption minimised with water-saving fixtures; ventilation adjusted according to visitor numbers, carbon dioxide content and temperatures; ventilation heat recovery in the shopping centre and parking garage.

Low-energy shopping centre Seppä has been welcomed with open arms in Jyväskylä

Shopping Centre Seppä is an answer to the wishes of many in Central Finland. The semi-heated parking garage features direct access to the shopping centre and the Prisma hypermarket, and the services include the most extensive food court in town. The bar was also set high with regard to structural, HVAC, electrical and automation design.

Shopping Centre Seppä was completed in 2017, next to the Seppälä district Prisma hypermarket in Jyväskylä. The shopping centre is owned by four separate companies belonging to the LähiTapiola group. “We look for locally significant locations in growing urban areas. With Seppä, quite a few pieces simply fell into place,” says LähiTapiola’s Asset Manager Jussi Roine. “We collaborated with S-Group for this project, so the Prisma concept supports the whole.”

A shopping centre designed to change and move forwards

Sweco was in charge of the structural, HVAC, electrical and automation design of the largest shopping centre in Central Finland. “The concept changed many times, but change is a given when it comes to shopping centres,” says Sweco’s head of structural engineering Markus Sääskilahti. “Generally speaking, the changes begin immediately once a modern shopping centre is completed.”

From the perspective of structural technology, the most challenging thing was to anticipate the loads of various commercial premises. This is why a detailed loading diagram was prepared for Seppä. Additional foundations were required for the relocated escalator and Alko outlet, for example. “We cast two additional walls in the basement to ensure that the structures are able to carry a higher load of daily consumer goods.”

Building services were also modified and updated all the way up to opening of the shopping centre. “We proceeded one commercial premise at a time once the tenants were confirmed,” says Heljo Hakulinen, Sweco’s design director for HVAC and automation technology. “The largest tenants have detailed instructions for lighting that matches their branding.”

Easy modifiability during use was ensured by installing wireless temperature sensors to control room-specific cooling equipment, for example. “Now they can be easily moved, added or removed,” Hakulinen says. Adaptability is also improved by the installation of about 150 cooling devices in the data transfer bus. “The temperature sensors and cooling devices are not physically tied together, and the adjustment ranges can be freely changed through software.”

The project sparked a collaborative spirit

The client’s needs were specified as the project progressed, and the design process and worksite moved forward side-by-side in a tight schedule. “Flexibility was required of the entire design team to ensure that everyone involved could quickly grasp the practical repercussions of each client decision,” Sääskilahti says.

This is why collaborative methods were implemented for the project, and Hakulinen especially remembers the spirit of pulling together, which was prevalent throughout the efforts. “The dialogue between the designers, contractors and the client was constant. In practice, the solutions were fitted together first and designed second!”

A comprehensive combination BIM, including technology channels and loading diagrams, was also prepared for Seppä. Visual “traffic lights” were used in the weekly meetings to indicate the parties and areas that could proceed. “Everyone went out of their way to be flexible for the shared goals. During many weeks, I spent more time at the Seppä worksite than my office,” Sääskilahti says with a laugh.

The hybrid system for the parking garage saved tens of thousands of euros

The shopping centre includes a semi-heated parking garage with room for 600 cars and 110 bicycles as well as the largest charging point for electric vehicles in Central Finland, which is free of charge to all customers. Convenience is ensured by the low number of pillars and walls. “The longest hollow-core slab is 16.8 metres long, so the garage is exceptionally spacious and accessible,” Sääskilahti says, pleased with the results.

A hybrid system handling both ventilation and extraction and featuring heat recovery was designed for the parking garage. The ventilation blowers change direction as necessary, which can then change the ventilation system into a smoke extraction system. “This saved the client tens of thousands of euros in investment,” Hakulinen says.

The LEED Platinum environmental certificate ensures that savings are also gained during use. Seppä is a low-energy complex which will feature the largest solar power plant in Finland upon completion. “Water is saved with ecological and efficient water fixtures, and the ventilation always operates at the correct efficiency based on carbon dioxide content measurements,” Hakulinen says.

This new hub can be easily accessed from anywhere in the region by car, bicycle and public transport and even on foot. “Seppä is the first shopping centre in Jyväskylä to be designed from the ground up to be just that. This means that the premises are compact yet easy to grasp,” Roine says. “Energy is not wasted in anything unnecessary.”

Locals in Central Finland have welcomed Seppä with open arms. Visitor numbers increased despite the coronavirus outbreak, with Seppä reaching 2.8 million customers in 2020. “We have rented out all the commercial premises and have been able to retain pretty much every tenant,” Roine says.

“Seppä is the first shopping centre in Jyväskylä to be designed from the ground up to be just that. This means that the premises are simultaneously spacious and compact.”
– Jussi Roine, LähiTapiola

“A hybrid system handling both ventilation and smoke extraction was designed for the parking garage.”
– Heljo Hakulinen, Sweco