{"id":16481,"date":"2021-04-29T15:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/?post_type=showroom_cpt&p=16481"},"modified":"2022-12-05T18:35:33","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T16:35:33","slug":"condition-inspection-of-bird-watching-towers","status":"publish","type":"showroom_cpt","link":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/projects\/condition-inspection-of-bird-watching-towers\/","title":{"rendered":"Condition inspection of bird-watching towers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Condition inspection of bird-watching towers<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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Mets\u00e4hallitus ensured the safety of two bird-watching towers with a condition inspection by an expert<\/h1>\n
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A couple of roughly 30-year-old bird-watching towers of Mets\u00e4hallitus were inspected in North Karelia in August. An inspector of bridge and engineering structures from Sweco crossed stretches of mire and forested hills to ensure the continued safety of the bird-watching towers of Huuhkajavaara and Teretti for the thousands of hikers and bird watchers that visit the area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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The bird-watching towers of Huuhkajavaara and Teretti were completed in Lieksa at the beginning of the 1990s. The viewing platforms of both towers rise to a height of roughly 10 metres, and they are accessed by sturdy wooden stairs. The stability of the towers relies on 200-millimetre-thick columns made of impregnated wood and concrete footings.<\/p>\n

\u2018Neither of the bird-watching towers is located near actual transport connections: the Huuhkajavaara tower is situated in the Ruunaa hiking area on top of Huuhkajavaara Hill, while the Teretti tower is situated in the middle of the vast mire areas of Patvinsuo National Park,\u2019 Jani Perttunen<\/strong> from Sweco says. Carrying out the inspections required the expert in engineering structures to have an energetic outdoor spirit. \u2018The greatest challenge was getting there! Fortunately, I survived the encounter with a viper resting on top of the boardwalk by stomping my feet.\u2019<\/p>\n

Inspection of bird-watching towers is rare in Finland, and experienced inspectors can mostly only be found in Mets\u00e4hallitus. At the start of the project, Sweco carefully considered what type of expertise was required to inspect the bird-watching towers. \u2018In terms of its structure, a bird-watching tower is similar to a wooden bridge, so an inspector of engineering structures has suitable skills to inspect both of them,\u2019 Perttunen says.<\/p>\n

The safety of thousands of hikers is the priority<\/h3>\n

Mets\u00e4hallitus\u2019 own inspection rounds ensure that various bird-watching towers and other service structures are inspected and maintained annually.<\/p>\n

\u2018We want to have our bird-watching towers, as well as road bridges and suspension bridges, inspected regularly, also by external parties,\u2019 Heikki R\u00e4s\u00e4nen<\/strong> from Mets\u00e4hallitus says. \u2018We wanted to inspect the roughly 30-year-old bird-watching towers more thoroughly than usual to make sure that the structures are definitely safe and to address any problems on time.\u2019<\/p>\n

The safety of the bird-watching towers, which are in public use, affects thousands of visitors per year. \u2018The hiking area in Ruunaa is visited by roughly 80,000 people annually and Patvinsuo by roughly 16,000 people,\u2019 R\u00e4s\u00e4nen says.<\/p>\n

Only wear and tear caused by time was observed in the towers<\/h3>\n

In the general inspection, the inspector looked for possible material damage and also inspected the joints and foundations. Core samples were taken of the columns with an increment borer through spot checks to find any rot.<\/p>\n

\u2018The inspection was systematic, and we set out to carry it out one part at a time,\u2019 says R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, who monitored the inspection on site. He thinks that the inspector focused on the right structures from the perspective of safety. \u2018The comprehensive inspection also brought to light important details, such as the protruding nails in some stair boards.\u2019<\/p>\n

One of the towers was also coincidentally test loaded while the inspectors were present. \u2018Right before the inspection, there was a group of more than 15 tourists at the Teretti tower, and the tower held up well!\u2019 Perttunen laughs.<\/p>\n

No great surprises were encountered during the inspection, and the structures were in good condition. Neither was any rot found. \u2018The inspection only revealed wear and tear caused by time,\u2019 R\u00e4s\u00e4nen says, satisfied. \u2018Based on the inspection report, we will carry out the necessary repair and maintenance measures, which will lengthen the service life of the structures.\u2019<\/p>\n

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“We wanted to inspect the roughly 30-year-old bird-watching towers more thoroughly than usual to make sure that the structures are definitely safe and to address any problems on time. Based on the inspection report, we will carry out the necessary repair and maintenance measures, which will lengthen the service life of the structures.”
\n– Heikki R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, Mets\u00e4hallitus<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An inspector of bridge and engineering structures from Sweco crossed stretches of mire and forested hills to ensure the continued safety of the bird-watching towers of Huuhkajavaara and Teretti.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":14095,"template":"","showroom_cats":[147,161,168],"showroom_expertise":[],"showroom_partners":[],"showroom_location":[],"showroom_client":[],"class_list":["post-16481","showroom_cpt","type-showroom_cpt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","showroom_cats-sustainability","showroom_cats-environment-and-nature","showroom_cats-schools-and-kindergartens"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_cpt\/16481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_cpt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/showroom_cpt"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"showroom_cats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_cats?post=16481"},{"taxonomy":"showroom_expertise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_expertise?post=16481"},{"taxonomy":"showroom_partners","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_partners?post=16481"},{"taxonomy":"showroom_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_location?post=16481"},{"taxonomy":"showroom_client","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/showroom_client?post=16481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}