The façade renovation of the Hervanta activity centre protects nationally valuable architecture
The Hervanta activity centre is architect couple Raili and Reima Pietilä’s largest building complex in Finland. The starting point for the façade renovation was to repair the structures while respecting the architecture. Cooperation with the museum authorities went smoothly under the leadership of Sweco’s chief and architectural designers.
The Hervanta activity centre, owned by special investment fund eQ Sosiaalikiinteistöt, is the largest building complex in Finland by architect couple Raili and Reima Pietilä. Building K, completed in 1989, includes a library and youth facilities; The E-building, in turn, will house an old cinema used as an event space. Both facades were in need of renovation.
“eQ Community Properties takes care of its properties based on condition assessments, and our goal is to repair moisture damage to facades while respecting architecture and following eQ’s responsible practices,” says Tommi Terho, the fund’s Site Manager.
According to him, operators who had already been involved in the renovation of the activity centre were selected as the building services and architectural designers for the facade renovation, so that they would be familiar with the process and the Pietiläs’ requirements. For example, the health centre was renovated in 2018.
“Neva Architects, which is now part of Sweco, had an active dialogue with the Pirkanmaa Provincial Museum from the very beginning, so cooperation with the authorities went smoothly.”
Sweco was also responsible for lighting, electrical and HVAC design for the renovation.
Yard areas combined with protected architecture
The renovation planning was started on the basis of a building history survey carried out by Sweco. According to Sweco’s architect Jenni Lehtineva, the architects initially spent many days in the archives looking at the original images of the site. “The activity centre is a unique work of art. When making the 3D model, it became concrete how there is nothing ordinary in the whole, but there are shapes that harmonize nicely with each other everywhere.”
The outdoor architecture of the activity centre is protected by a detailed plan, and the site is among the nationally significant built cultural environments. “The design language of the buildings emphasises the curved red brick walls and eaves, as well as the event square, which brings the different buildings together,” says Jukka Salonen, the project’s chief designer at Sweco.
Sweco’s architects were also responsible for designing the yard areas connecting the buildings. “The idea of the Pietiläs was to adapt the buildings to the surrounding nature, such as rocks, and the snake sculpture on the library’s terrace continues to the surrounding slope,” Lehtineva says. Vegetation is restored by replacing the curly rose with more nature-friendly species.
The brick façade will last for decades to come
In the renovation of the outer casing and plinth structures, structural solutions are changed so that they meet today’s building physical requirements. According to Salonen, the biggest problem is the red brick façade extending from the plinth all the way into the ground. “The brick capillary absorbs water and begins to erode, and also on the inside of the façade, the wall structures lacked ventilation gaps.”
With the new structural solutions, the architecture of the façade will be preserved, but will withstand the conditions for decades to come. According to Lehtineva, only those bricks that are forced are removed from the lower parts of the façade, and intact surfaces are left at the upper end of the wall. “Some old unused bricks will also be obtained from the health centre renovation, and old windows and doors will also be renovated.”
The primary task of the chief designer was to uphold the detailed plan and conservation regulations of culturally and historically valuable sites, and according to Salonen, this was also successful. “The demolition of the site is minimized and the client’s goals are still achieved.”
The lighting respects the original light distribution
The rich detail designed by the Pietiläs can be seen in the door handles as well as in the lighting fixtures inside the library and along the entire façade line. The ball luminaires designed by the architects underwent a detailed renovation programme, and all luminaires are converted to energy-efficient LED technology.
“We keep as many original parts as possible and manufacture new ones to replace broken ones,” says Matti Syrjälä, Sweco’s Chief Lighting Designer. The light distribution designed by the architects will also be preserved. “The ball lights around the façade mainly accentuate the arch walls, so LED projectors have been added over the years to illuminate the ground level. Now they are discreetly replaced with slender spots that fit the edge of the roof.”
According to Miro Mäntylä, Sweco’s Electrical Design Project Manager, the renewal of the luminaires and their control will affect the property’s electricity network, but the visible changes will remain moderate. “Lighting control systems have developed so that we can utilise wireless controls, and there is no need to completely replace the current cabling, for example. It also makes it possible to carry out new installations quite discreetly.”
Even in HVAC design, changes to rainwater systems, for example, remain imperceptible. The chief designer reviewed all plans and the structural designer’s suggestions for repair methods, and the implementation phase continues with the supervision of work performance.
“The project has progressed in an exceptionally good spirit, because everyone understands the value of these buildings,” Salonen praises. The construction of both facades is expected to start in August 2024.