Art wall erected in Munkkisaari
A steel-structured art wall reflecting people’s relationship with energy has been erected on the grounds of the Munkkisaari heating plant in Helsinki.
The roof structures of two underground oil tanks and the adjacent fire extinguishing pumping station were landscaped with the aid of the art wall.
– Landscaping is part of the modernisation work carried out on the heating plant in order to improve the safety of the plant and upgrade its technology, says Unit Head Juhani Aaltonen of Helen.
OVER 300 SQUARE METRES OF STEEL PERFORATED SHEET
According to Architect Nina Rusanen who designed the art wall, landscaping made the heating plant area an integral part of the urban environment. The patterned wall of steel sheet makes the technical structures blend into their surroundings. After dark, the art wall is lit up by a yellow LED light strip along its whole length.
The idea for the perforated pattern of the façade came from the Lämpöä liikkeellä (Heat with motion) competition for ideas, implemented jointly by Finnish Energy and HUMAK University of Applied Sciences. The pattern is based on the urban painting Urban Energy 1 by Matti Mikkilä, a student of the Aalto University. It is inspired by the urban environment and reflects people’s relationship with energy.
The art wall in Munkkisaari was built out of 2 mm thick perforated sheet made of acid-proof steel. There are a total of about 330 square metres of perforated steel sheet in the wall.
The Munkkisaari heating plant operates as the peak load and reserve plant for district heating in the city centre of Helsinki. It is taken into use as and when needed in the coldest spells when the consumption of heat and hot tap water is at its highest. The plant has five 49.5 MW boilers capable of producing district heat for the needs of over 60,000 one-bedroom apartments.
Facts
Modernisation of the Munkkisaari heating plant
- Modification work carried out in 2014–2016. The modifications are based on the new EU Directive on Industrial Emissions.
- One of the two oil tanks was modified by building a smaller tank inside it. The former fuel was replaced by light fuel oil.
Landscaping
Design of the art wall: Nina Rusanen/Arkkitehtitoimisto Virkkunen & Co
Construction design: Insinööritoimisto Heikki Möttönen Oy
Façade contracting: Inlook Oy
Special steel for the art wall: Terästarvike Oy