The versatile sports building surprised its owners with its energy efficiency
Footballers, athletes and schoolchildren in Vihti can now enjoy first-rate training conditions year-round. The energy efficiency of the steel-structured insulated Best-Hall Custom building has provided substantial savings in heating costs.
Vihti was looking for a solution for a full-size football arena that would enable versatile training and be in active use on weekdays and weekends.
“The old air dome had caused us many sleepless nights. For the new solution, we opted for Best-Hall’s steel-framed double-fabric structure, which was energy-efficient and also quite affordable compared to other heavier alternatives,” says Matti Harju, Chairman of the Board of Vihdin Jäähalli Oy, which carried out the project.
Significant savings are gained during the life cycle of the structure
The floor area of the structure completed in January 2019 is 8,400 square metres. In addition to a football field, the arena features a sprint strip more than a hundred metres long as well as jumping pits. A separate 450-square-metre area holds the dressing rooms, showers, lobby area, café and technical rooms.
The structure is heated by means of twenty air-source heat pumps, which have been sufficient to keep the interior temperature at the desired 13 degrees Celsius. Additional heating has not been needed even at the coldest temperatures.
“The excellent heat economy of the structure has been a pleasant surprise. Based on our three winters of experience, the energy consumption is surprisingly low,” Harju says in praise of the structure’s efficiency.
In Vihti’s sports building, service water is heated with an air-source heat pump, but solar panels could also be installed on the roof of the steel-framed structure. Based on the life cycle calculations, the sports building was an excellent overall investment since the maintenance costs are very affordable compared to an air dome, for example.
“The flexible and modifiable high-quality structure will retain its resale value even after 30 years of use,” says Best-Hall’s Sales Director Leif Fagernäs as a reminder.
Quick setup for use
One of the goals in Vihti was to get the new structure set up for use quickly. The target schedule was achieved since the arena was opened six months from the granting of the building permit. The project was expedited by the competence and experience of Best-Hall’s experts in the building permit phase from administrative cooperation to installation.
“We carry out the projects in close cooperation with the client and provide assistance as the work progresses. In Vihti, we were already involved in the application for the building permit, so our architect partner helped us find the right solutions early on. This expedited the project,” Fagernäs says.
According to Harju, the sports building has only received positive feedback.
“We can absolutely recommend the structure for versatile sports-related use. It is an affordable solution and extremely easy to maintain.”
Yhdystie 3-7,
68300 Kälviä, Finland
Tel: +358 6 832 5000
info@besthall.com
Business ID FI01070190
