Vacant properties in Kouvola to be repurposed through circular economy

The amount of natural resources consumed in construction is growing faster than the world's population. Construction and construction-related emissions should be reduced by 80-90% by 2050. However, construction continues to grow.

According to Matti Kuittinen, Professor of Sustainable Construction at Aalto University: "Whenever possible, we should avoid building new structures — especially if the population is not growing or there are no wars." 

He emphasizes that old buildings should not be demolished but instead repurposed. If a building must be demolished, its parts should be reused as construction materials elsewhere. 

Collaboration with the city of Kouvola

A joint project between Aalto University's Department of Architecture and the City of Kouvola seeks solutions for the use of empty properties in circular economy construction. The project is carried out in collaboration with master's students from Aalto University.

The city of Kouvola has half a million square meters of empty buildings that it aims to demolish or sell. Most of the properties are schools, health centres and various municipal administration buildings, that have been left unused due to large municipal consolidations, among other factors.

According to Kuittinen, "Kouvola is a prime example of a region affected by structural changes where buildings have no use."

The aim of the project is to find new purposes for the properties, so they don’t have to be demolished.  If a new use cannot be found due to the location, the aim is to find ways to dismantle parts of the buildings and use them in new construction projects.

A new way to do master's theses

The Kouvola project is part of a new pilot program launched by the Department of Architecture aimed at finding innovative ways to complete master's theses and improve student well-being. The pilot involves seven master's students in architecture and three master's students in urban studies and planning.

Professor Antti Lehto from the Department of Architecture, who developed the pilot, has identified several areas for improvement in supervising theses over the past three years.

According to Lehto, the process of writing a thesis is made easier when it connects to previous studies and aligns with current research directions in architecture. In this way, the thesis can make use of, or even take forward, the research directions. 

The new approach speeds up the process, helps students stay on schedule, and improves their well-being. Lehto points out that although the students have received quality guidance in the past, the work has been rather solitary for six months. 

In the pilot, students get peer support from each other. "When working together and seeing the strengths of your own work through others’ projects, solutions are found more quickly."

At the moment, the project in Kouvola is in the analysis phase, during which the city’s zoning, history, demographics, and the service networks around the buildings are being examined. After the analysis phase, students will begin developing various proposals for the plots. "The City of Kouvola is giving us a lot of freedom and welcomes radical ideas."

Construction needs a radical change

In Finland, the construction industry produces nearly 40% of the country's emissions (roughly 17 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent). According to Matti Kuittinen, "Construction is the most resource-intensive activity and should be capable of much greater emission reductions."

Kuittinen does not believe Finland will reach its carbon neutrality goal by 2035 without additional measures. He sees two options: either the next government will acknowledge that the goal is unattainable, or there will be restrictions on logging.

If emissions are not brought under control, according to Kuittinen, the worst-case scenario could be climate migration. "Canada, Northern Europe, and central parts of Russia are areas where people might relocate. At that point, there could be demand for houses in Finland's rural areas."