YIT builds with taxonomy compliance: Case Aleksanterinkatu 13

A taxonomy-compliant project is environmentally sustainable and ensures a long and diverse service life for the building. YIT's expertise in this area is attested to by the recent renovation carried out in the heart of Helsinki.

As part of the EU's green transition, a classification system - or taxonomy - has been defined for sustainable finance. Sustainability is assessed against six environmental objectives: climate change mitigation, adaptation to climate change, preservation of water resources and seas, promotion of the circular economy, prevention of pollution, and biodiversity.

Briefly, an activity is in line with the taxonomy when it contributes significantly to at least one of these environmental objectives and does not significantly hinder the achievement of the others.

"It is good to bear in mind that many aspects of the taxonomy-based construction criteria have long been standard features of the construction industry, such as waste sorting, which is required to achieve a recycling rate of more than 70%" says YIT’s development engineer Sanna Koivisto, adding: “So it's not something new and unusual or difficult to implement.”

YIT is familiar with taxonomy-compliant construction

Project manager Jenni Sahlberg and project engineer Milja Vansen-Raitio, who have participated in YIT's taxonomy-compliant projects, confirm Koivisto's words.

"Taxonomy-compliant matters have been part of our daily work for years: we have collected material data, and as a rule, energy efficiency is the goal in renovation projects. The biggest difference occurs during the design stage, that is, taxonomy-compliant projects have precise criteria that are adhered to during execution,” they explain.

The environmental objectives defined at the preliminary planning and design phase, their numerical follow-up in implementation, and the careful documentation of each stage are emphasized in taxonomy-compliant projects. Annual reports on taxonomy-compliant business must contain evidence of all matters.

"Taxonomy must be taken into account as early as possible: in new construction, already when the construction site is assessed from the point of view of biodiversity. In the design of all taxonomy-compliant projects, a climate risk assessment with adaptation solutions must be carried out in addition to a circular economy plan that takes into account, among other things, adaptability and longevity of use,” Koivisto says.

Aleksanterinkatu 13: mitigation of climate change as the main objective

A good example of YIT's taxonomy-compliant project is the renovation carried out in the center of Helsinki in 2022–2024: Aleksanterinkatu 13 store premises were transformed into modern business, office and meeting spaces.

The owner of the property and the developer of the project is the pension company Ilmarinen, which decided that the renovation should be carried out in compliance with the taxonomy.

"The preliminary report reviewed the six environmental objectives of the taxonomy and how they apply to this project – and where compliance with the taxonomy could be achieved with the highest certainty," says Sahlberg.

The developer's consultant prepared an assessment of and instructions for the matters to be taken into account. The consultant also acted as an expert during the execution phase, if support was needed, for example, in product and material choices.

Climate change mitigation was chosen as the main criterion. Five other environmental objectives were also assessed, making sure that no significant harm would be caused to them. Sahlberg compares the preliminary report related to the taxonomy with environmental certificates: the processes are similar and the surveys can be conducted in parallel, thereby creating synergy.

"The preliminary report defined the types of things to be pursued, and from there we proceeded normally to the design, taking into account the given boundary conditions and initial data. When it was found that the plans also met the set goals in terms of taxonomy, it was possible to start building.”

With its responsibility for design management, YIT was closely involved already in the development phase.

Up-to-date energy efficiency

In the Aleksanterinkatu 13 property, climate change was primarily mitigated by improving energy efficiency, and the energy efficiency index decreased by 30%.

"When renovating an old building, a lot can be achieved by just switching to solutions that meet today's standards," Vansen-Raitio says.

In addition to all ventilation and heating solutions, this meant selecting faucets with specific flow rates to reduce water consumption. With regard to windows, the question was whether to replace the new ones or repair the old ones, and in the end, a decision was made use primarily the old ones but to add additional panes indoors in order to improve their thermal performance and increase energy efficiency.

In the renovation, preparations were made for more frequent and heavier rainfall in the future, and the entire rainwater sewerage system was replaced and the capacity of the connection was increased. Sunlight was also taken into account: the windows were equipped with awnings and protective films, decreasing the need for cooling in summer.

"The solutions were also partly about adapting to climate change, and the circular economy was promoted, for example, by utilizing old windows and reusing materials that had been recovered from the building. At the developer's request, special attention was paid to circular economy solutions, not only in terms of sorting, but also with regard to used products, although this was not the main taxonomy criterion,” Sahlberg says.

Sustainability promotes a new way of building

Sahlberg points out that construction in accordance with the taxonomy aims to ensure that not only the environment remains in good condition but also the buildings, which will therefore offer long service lives and have the capacity to be adopted for various uses.

"When you take into account, for example, changing weather conditions and usage needs already at the planning phase, repairs will not be needed for a long time," he says.

According to Vansen-Raitio, taxonomy-compliant construction is becoming increasingly common, but in renovations the client plays a major role.

"We may not be involved in the design of all properties, and compliance with the taxonomy must be pursued as early as the initial assessment," he stresses.

Sahlberg emphasizes that taxonomy is first and foremost a collection of tools that will make the entire construction industry more sustainable. "It's about a new way of doing what construction is inevitably going to do.”