News | Page 15 | Länsimetro

Pioneering in Building Information Modelling – XR pilot project on the metro’s smoke venting system finished in the spring

3.7.2019

Länsimetro wants to be a pioneer in Building Information Modelling. At the moment, West Metro’s project planning team is looking into the possibilities offered by extended reality (XR) tools. These would complement the VR technology, which is already widely used in the industry, and creates a 3D view of, for instance, a planned metro station before actual construction work begins.

”Extended reality technology adds, as the name suggests, new elements to an existing planning environment. On the West Metro planning team, we have carried out a project to display a section of the metro’s smoke vent system as a small-scale model in a virtual smoke exhaust control room, which is almost identical with the real control room now under construction. In the pilot, we are using a headset technology that allows a higher resolution than normally used in virtual reality. The users of the model can see what happens if they activate the smoke vent system and how it works in a real situation,” says Jarkko Aittoniemi, Design Manager for the West Metro project.

The purpose of the XR pilot for the smoke vent system was to illustrate how XR technology works – during the summer, the intention is to examine how this technology could be used more extensively in the project. Decisions on what ideas will be implemented will be made in the autumn.

The intention is to use XR technology mainly for training purposes during the West Metro project. It enables the viewing of the finished metro with its technical systems in an illustrative format before the actual infrastructure is ready.

”In this way, we could start training for the commissioning phase before the infrastructure is finished and gain benefits in terms of schedule and costs,” Aittoniemi says.

”Metro is a complicated and wide-ranging infrastructure site. The smoke vent system, which was selected as the pilot area, includes several controllable functions, and the smoke extraction area is considerable. The XR model helps us gain an understanding of the complex system despite the limitations of the physical environment,” says fire safety expert Mikko Mauro from the West Metro project.

Both Aittoniemi and Mauro believe that XR technology will be used more extensively in construction projects in the future. Even now, various parties, such as the European Space Agency, employ this technology in their projects. Länsimetro has been developing the pilot model together with Teatime Research.

”Our pilot has drawn international interest, and people from Copenhagen’s metro project, for example, have been in contact with me,” says Aittoniemi.

Concrete casting and element deliveries to begin in the Kaitaa metro station contract

1.7.2019

Element installation and concrete casting will begin in the West Metro Kaitaa construction project during the week of 1 July. Work will be carried out at the future metro station’s Kaitaantie entrance (Kaitaantie 6) and at the provisional Iivisniemenkallio entrance (Hannuskallio 5) in the aboveground areas of the worksites.

The metro station’s load-bearing structures will be cast in concrete, and part of the concrete will be transported to the site as finished elements, and part as ready-mix concrete to be cast on site. The concrete work phase will increase worksite traffic – the concrete trucks will mainly take the Kaitaantie and Hannuskallio route.

Noisy work will be carried out during normal working hours from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 6 pm. Quiet work can also be carried out outside those hours. The transportation of concrete elements and concrete casting are estimated to last two months, starting during the week of 1 July.

Further information:

Ari Larikka, occupational safety manager, YIT Rakennus Oy: tel. +358 (0)50 440 3011, ari.larikka(at)yit.fi
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

The journey of concrete

26.6.2019

The main building material of West metro’s stations and railway lines is concrete. Its journey to West metro’s walls, floors, elevator shafts and platforms starts in a mixer.

The concrete truck’s mixer is slowly filling up. From Ruskon betoni’s Kivenlahti factory, concrete is transported to Finnoo metro station for use in constructing vaulted ceilings and floors.

Before that, a cement truck arrives from Finnsementti’s plant in Pargas. In a large concrete mixer, the cement is mixed with aggregate and water, and synthetic and steel fibres are added as needed to prevent cracking.

The concrete factory’s large machines do not have operators. The controls are in an office, which has digital screens for monitoring the processes.

– It may come as a surprise that this work is done indoors and it is not messy. Everything starts with receiving an order. In the West metro project, preliminary information is sent to us the previous week, and the orders are confirmed two days before delivery, says Regional Manager Jukka Tuohino.

The concrete pour rate is agreed in advance. For West metro work sites, concrete trucks often make deliveries every 20 minutes. The digital screens show two mixers preparing concrete. Getting the relative proportion of the aggregate right at the factory is important as it affects the strength of the concrete. For example, elasticity or porousness can be increased with the right materials.

In addition to the office and concrete plants, the factory has a laboratory, where cubes of concrete are ready for the compressive strength test. The laboratory also measures air content and depressions and
monitors fibre content in concrete.

In addition to quality control at the factory, quality is tested at the work site, and Ruskon betoni’s test results are reviewed by an independent third party.

Originally published in West Metro magazine 1/2019.

West metro stations combine safety and accessibility with striking architectural features

26.6.2019

Metro stations traditionally are structurally simple because they have only one function: to serve as the departure and arrival points of safe journeys. When designing west metro, ensuring safety and accessibility has not meant disregarding quality and elegance.

West metro stations are vast, open-plan spaces where people’s sightlines of other metro users are maximised. In densely populated countries, passengers go in different directions through separate routes,
but in Finland, all metro users fit in the same platforms and use the same elevators and escalators.

– Open-plan spaces give a sense of security. The feeling of safety from being among other passengers is created with good lighting and unobstructed sightlines, says lead designer, architect Hannu Mikola at architect office CJN Oy.

The open spaces and fixtures are only some of the ways of ensuring safety at metro stations and during metro journeys. A much larger role is played by what we do not see, which is the technology and automation
behind the structures and systems of every station and tunnel.

Passengers having to exit a tunnel on foot is very rare in Finland. Never in the history of travelling by metro in Finland has there been a fire on board the metro or at a metro station. West metro has a wide range of
automation systems and mechanical engineering solutions for ensuring that everyone can exit safely in exceptional situations.

– To my knowledge, west metro has the most comprehensive safety solution that a metro system can have, says Mikola.

Originally published in West Metro magazine 1/2019.

Hannu Mikola at Matinkylä metro station. Photo: Kimmo Häkkinen

Structural engineering specialist joins design team – experience from major projects

25.6.2019

Atte Heiskanen (Master of Engineering) has joined the West Metro project as a project engineer. Heiskanen works in Soukka station’s design management and his tasks include, among other things, coordinating design solutions and various design fields, such as architectural and structural design, monitoring the design schedules and coordinating them with the project management contractor.

Heiskanen has previously worked as Project Manager at Sweco Rakennetekniikka Oy and been involved in the Redi shopping centre and the Helsinki Olympic Stadium projects, just to name a few examples.

“Major projects have many things in common, such as coordination challenges, and they always involve a lot of expertise and many parties,” Heiskanen says.

For Heiskanen, joining Länsimetro means taking a leap into an even larger project.

“I applied for the West Metro project because I wanted to paint with an even bigger brush, so to speak. I wanted to move to the next level and work on larger entities instead of detailed plans,” he says.

Heiskanen is also interested in the metro as a mobility solution of the future.

“In future, environmental concerns alone will dictate the need for various mobility options that can be combined. A bicycle, for example, is often a convenient way to reach the metro station,” he says.

Heiskanen has worked on the project since spring 2019, and he feels part of the team.

“My first impression was that the project involves a lot of expertise and experience and great colleagues,” he says.

Heiskanen also regularly visits worksites – structural design continues during construction, and the plans are refined with the contractor. In addition, design meetings are organised with designers, and various coordination and planning meetings are held with the other parties involved in the project.

“Worksite visits bring a nice variety to the workday,” Heiskanen says.

Work on water and sewer connections and district heating will start in the Kivenlahti metro station construction contract

25.6.2019

Work on water and sewer connections and district heating will start in the West Metro Kivenlahti station construction contract during the week starting on 26 June. At the same time, utility lines and substructures for the future street will be built for the city of Espoo. For the city, we will construct fire water and household water pipelines and rainwater and wastewater sewer pipelines and their wells. In addition, we are working on a new district heating pipeline. The work will take place on Seitsenmerenreitti, in the immediate vicinity of the Kivenlahdentori entrance.

Due to the street construction and municipal engineering works, the worksite area will expand, and trees will have to be felled in the area. We apologise for any inconvenience that the work may cause.

The work will mainly take place weekdays between 7 a.m and 6 p.m. and will be completed by the end of October.

Further information:
On-call phone line, Skanska Infra Oy: +358 (0)50 402 3044
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Glass wall at Matinkylä’s bus terminal completed

17.6.2019

Construction of a glass wall at Matinkylä metro station’s bus terminal level has been completed. The glass wall was built from March to May at the bus terminal, in the area between the K-Market and R-kioski, to enhance the enjoyment of the shopping centre’s patrons and business owners.

“The end result looks as it should, it suits the space well,” says Perttu Tavia, who supervised the work on behalf of Länsimetro.

The glass wall was designed by the architecture firm HKP Oy, which also designed the Urheilupuisto, Niittykumpu and Matinkylä metro stations, as well as the Matinkylän bus terminal.

The wall was built at a busy junction where the metro entrance and the passage to the bus terminal and the shops at the bus-terminal level meet.

“Co-operation between the shopping centre, the business owners and the customers was good. If any development proposals related to the construction arrangements came up, the contractor took them into consideration right away,” says Tavia.

The glass wall keeps the heat in, especially during winter, making the bus terminal level a more enjoyable place to be. The wall’s three sliding doors operate with motion sensors. People can walk both in and out through all of the sliding doors. Two regular swing doors were also built into the glass wall.

The work was carried out by Hermanns Oy, Are Oy and Rakennuspalvelu Heino.

Further information:

Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700
Perttu Tavia, West Metro project, +358 (0)50 378 5164
Jyrki Karihtala, Hermanns Oy, +358 (0)400 554 988

More than 90% of technical construction work on Sammalvuori depot completed, technical building services work reaches halfway mark

17.6.2019

Technical construction work at the Sammalvuori depot is nearing the finish line, with more than 90 per cent of the work completed already. Roughly half of the technical building services work at the depot is completed, which means that as of May 2019, the entire depot is just under 80 per cent completed.

Two underground halls are being constructed at the Sammalvuori depot – one for the night-time storage of 20 trains, the other for maintenance facilities.

“Right now, the most important work phases are the technical building work in their various forms – for instance, connecting the equipment and carrying out tests. The fire seal work on the interface of the technical building services and support structures are also an important and current work phase,” says Minna Alantie, the Sammalvuori depot’s project engineer.

Preparing in autumn for joint test runs in 2020

The remaining construction work involves, among other things, landscaping the surrounding areas of the depot, steel structural work in the halls, door fittings and finishing the slab track. Cable work and connections will be carried out until the end of 2019.

“The last concrete castings will take place in summer and autumn. In addition, technical construction work on the steel platforms and structural steel work on the maintenance levels are being prepared. In autumn, we will also prepare for technical system test runs and for joint test runs that are scheduled for next year,” says Alantie.

The design, excavation, construction and technical buildings services for the depot were executed by the Sammalvuori Consortium (Kalliorakennus-Yhtiöt Oy, EM Pekkinen Oy, Konevuori Oy and Aro-Systems Oy). The excavation and construction contract started in 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2020.

New rail line supervisor – “I can’t wait to get to the work site”

17.6.2019

Juha-Matti Pakka (MSc. Eng.) has started as supervisor of the rail line’s superstructures contract on the West Metro project.

The superstructures contract includes the tracks, blocks and turnouts to be installed on the rail line, as well as the base ballast for the track. As the supervisor, Pakka’s tasks include overseeing quality aspects related to the contract and, among other things, that the budget and schedule targets are adhered to.

Pakka previously worked for NRC Group Finland in the area of risk management assessment. In addition to ISA work, Pakka participated in various expert tasks related to rail technology, one of which involved preparing a report for the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications on the use of satellite navigation to improve safety at level crossings.

“In recent years, my work has been more office-focussed; in my new job, I eagerly look forward to also working a lot in construction site settings,” says Pakka.

Pakka now has a week of work on the West Metro project behind him.

“The atmosphere and the way work is conducted here seem very good. This is a large and interesting project, and I look forward to meeting new people and learning more about the project itself. I believe I will learn and develop a lot professionally on this project,” says Pakka.

Summary of decisions by Länsimetro Oy’s Board of Directors on 13 June 2019

17.6.2019

The Board of Directors convened on 13 June 2019. The Board of Directors received a status report and risk management report on the construction work for phase two, the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section. The project is progressing on schedule and within budget.

The board meeting addressed the status report on the ownership of phase one, Ruoholahti–Matinkylä: the organisation, tasks, life-cycle economy, risk management and the servicing and maintenance situation. HKL not only operates the metro traffic but also reports to Länsimetro Oy on the use of the metro line and the stations and the related servicing and maintenance tasks as agreed.

The Board was presented a status report on the phase one construction projects that are under Länsimetro Oy’s responsibility: Tapiola’s south entrance (completed), Matinkylä’s west entrance, Matinkylä’s service tunnel and emergency shelter, Matinkylä’s bus terminal’s glass wall (completed), and the new entrance to the Urheilupuisto metro station.

The Board decided to put out for tender a EUR 50 million loan item in one or more loans to finance the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti project.

The next meeting will be held on 22 August 2019.

Further information:
Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)50 593 3359
Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 823 2086
Media contacts: Satu Linkola, Communications Director, tel. +358 (0)46 877 3392