Halton, specialising in demanding indoor air solutions, was the indoor air partner for Oodi, Helsinki’s new central library and urban public space. Halton implemented an efficient yet silent and draught-free ventilation system that was embedded into the architecturally unique building. The solution’s acoustic properties were tested in advance in Halton’s product development facility in Kausala. Oodi is another chapter in Halton’s list of cultural building references in Finland and abroad.
Indoor air systems in public premises have extra requirements such as silent and draught-free operation and also architectural considerations. Oodi’s indoor air solution was created in conjunction with the planning of the entire building, in close cooperation with the architect and building systems specialist. The low-velocity displacement ventilation technology that creates an environment with no draught was integrated into the building architecture and fixtures. Plans still changed during the project, which increased the requirement level for Halton as the supplier of the ventilation architecture.
“We have been working together with Halton before and therefore could rely on them to deliver quality and to do so within the timetable, also in an architecturally unique project like Oodi. Seeing the end result, I cannot help admiring the meticulous accuracy of the solutions and the supreme adjustment qualities,” says Tony Lindholm, project manager at Are Oy, which was in charge of the building systems.
Halton has always accepted indoor air challenges with a keen mindset.
“Halton has implemented indoor air solutions to many public premises and cultural targets both in Finland and abroad. Some of the targets in Finland include the Helsinki Music Centre, right next door, and the Helsinki Kulttuuritalo,” says Anu Saxén, Director of Halton’s Buildings Segment.
“There’s plenty of talk about cultural exports, but we specialise in exporting wellbeing so that people can enjoy culture together,” she says.
Halton believes there will be an increase in demand for indoor air expertise for public premises.
“The world is becoming more and more urban, and there will be an increasing number of large indoor and public premises. At the same time, requirements concerning indoor air quality and environmentally friendly solutions that are also comfortable will make an already challenging job even harder. We believe that there is plenty of work for a passionate indoor air expert in the future,” says Saxén.
