Technical excursions during the Congress
NOTE: The organizers managed to get more seats to the excursions. If you were not able to register to a certain excursion, please ask for available seats at wtc11@congrex.fi. Click here to download a timetable for technical excursions.
The technical excursions have participant limitations. Please note that pre-booking is needed. You may choose only one excursion / day. Please ask availability on-site if the chosen tour is fully booked!
The congress organizer receives the right to cancel the tour or change the continent. Participants will be informed in these cases.
Technical excursions during the congress will be organized on Monday 23rd, Tuesday 24th and Thursday 26th of May. Duration varies from 1 to 3 hours.
Excursions are free only for the participants (but not for the accompanying persons or exhibitors).
Energy and multi-utility tunnel network of Helsinki
Monday, 23, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked
Tuesday 24, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Guided walking tour at the site
Completed construction
Beneath Helsinki lie more than 40 km of Helsinki Energy's multi-utility and energy tunnels, which contain district heating and cooling pipelines, 110 kV cables, medium-voltage cables and optical data transfer cables, as well as the main pipelines of Helsinki Water.
The “Katri Vala” underground heating and cooling plant is the world`s largest heat pump plant, producing district heat and cooling in a single process. At the “Katri Vala” plant there will be arranged a guided tour and some presentations concerning multi-utility tunnel network and district cooling system.
Viikinmäki underground wastewater treatment plant
Monday, 23, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked!
Tuesday, 24, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked!
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Guided walking tour at the site
Completed construction
Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority (HSY) treats the wastewater produced by the over a million residents in the Metropolitan Area at its Viikinmäki treatment plant in Helsinki and Suomenoja treatment plant in Espoo. The Viikinmäki plant is excavated in hard crystalline bedrock using drilling and blasting method. The total volume of excavated rock is 1,200,000 m3. The waste water is led to the plant through the rock tunnels. After the treatment process the purified water flows to the open sea using the 16 kilometer long outlet tunnel. Above the underground plant there is a residential area of 3,500 inhabitants. During the visit there is a possibility to hear how the underground space and tunnels are utilized for water service as well as some experiences about the quarrying works and rock mechanics. Walking trip in the plant will belong to the program, also.
Viikinmäki underground wastewater treatment plant and Itäkeskus underground swimming centre
Thursday, 26 at 8.45-13.00 excursion is fully booked
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Completed construction
The underground swimming centre was carved into bedrock in 1993. The spa-type underground space contains a 50-metre swimming pool, whirlpool baths, saunas, a gym, etc. The facility can be converted into a shelter for 3,800 persons.
Itäkeskus underground swimming centre and Viikinmäki underground wastewater treatment plant (see introduction above)
Thursday, 26 at 8.45-13.00, available seats!
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Completed construction
West Metro Project
Monday, 23, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked!
Tuesday, 24, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked
Thursday, 26 at 8.45-11.30 excursion is fully booked!
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Note: Proper shoes (e.g. walking shoes) are recommended for the walking tour at the construction site
13.9 km long twin tunnel and 7 new stations. Construction started in late 2009. The westbound metro line will be owned by the cities of Helsinki and Espoo. www.lansimetro.fi
KEHU - City Service tunnel
Monday, 23,1st excursion at 14.45-17.00 excursion is fully booked!
Monday, 23, 2nd excursion at 15.30-18.00 excursion is fully booked!
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall. Guided walking tour/demo at the site
Completed construction
City Service Tunnel presentation and HI-FOG® water mist fire protection system demonstration
The 2,5km long Helsinki Service Tunnel will be the main thoroughfare for delivery vehicles carrying supplies to stores and shops downtown. It improves downtown traffic flow and air quality and opens up access to underground car parks.
The tunnel is protected by HI-FOG® water mist fire protection system. One of the most important requirements for active fire suppression system was that it needs to be zone-based to reach the desired safety level in the tunnel. Similar HI-FOG® systems have been installed also in e.g. A86 tunnel (Paris) and M30 tunnel (Madrid).
The excursion includes a short presentation of the tunnel and HI-FOG® water mist fire protection demonstration in a roundabout.
Underground coal storage and district cooling
Monday, 23, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked!
Tuesday 24, at 15.15-18.00 excursion is fully booked!
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Guided walking tour at the site
Completed construction
Helsinki Energy's underground coal storage facility in Salmisaari was built in 2001-03. The project also included an underground district cooling centre, a power station and 3.5 km of tunnels. The total excavated volume was 550,000 m3. Each coal silo is 65 metres high and has a 40-metre diameter with a circular plan cross-section. The volumetric capacity of each silo is 81,000 m3.
During the excursion we hear the presentation of the coal storage and visit the underground cooling centre. Visiting the underground coal storage is not possible.
Ring Rail Line (Kehärata)
Tuesday, 24, at 14.45-18.00 excursion is fully booked
Thursday, 26, at 8.45-13.00 excursion is fully booked
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall
Construction site
Airport transit is a new rail section connecting the city centre to Vantaankoski local track with the main northbound rail track. The whole project consists of 18 km of new double track and 8 new stations. Of this, 8 km of track and 4 stations will be fully underground. The owners of the project are the Finnish Rail Administration and the City of Vantaa. www.keharata.fi
Parking and service tunnels for Finlandia Hall and new Music Centre of Helsinki
Tuesday, 24, at 15.30-17.40 excursion is fully booked
Presentation of the project at 15.30, at Hall A, Finlandia Hall. Guided appr. 20 min walking tours from Finlandia Hall starting at 16.00.
Note: Proper shoes (e.g. walking shoes) are recommended for the tour. Long walking distances.
Construction site
The Music Centre of Helsinki and the enlargement of historic Finlandia Hall will be opened in spring 2012. New parking and service tunnels will be situated into caverns under the new built facilities and surrounding traffic roads. In the 150 000 m3 underground parking cavern there is space for 650 parking lots. Present on ground parking and service areas will be transferred into a public city park. Besides parking facility the establishment functions serves as air-raid shelter for 3 800 persons. Majority of all service transport for both Finlandia Hall and Music Center of Helsinki will be delivered throughout service tunnels after completion. Finlandia Hall will also relocate some of its maintenance premiers into the facility e.g waste disposal, storage and cold storage rooms, staff room, et cetera. Once ready the facility will consist 32 000 square meter of new underground space. In all there will be 9 shafts both technical and transport and in all 13 new elevators serving both human and material transport.
Project is delivered in two phases. The first phase finalized in autumn 2009 consisted excavation of access tunnel (24 000 m3). The second phase has started in spring 2010 and the whole facility will be ready in the end of the year 2012. Majority of excavation (drilling and basting method) works in the second phase will be done by the end of April 2011. The construction work in the access tunnel is done simultaneously with the excavation of parking and service facilities. At the time of the excursion in May there is a variety of different work ongoing at the site. The installation of building services in the access tunnel, earth work and concrete work in the parking facility, and reinforcement works (systemical bolting and shotcreting) in the service facilities and shafts.
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VTT underground spaces
Tuesday, 24, at 15.15-18.00
Departure by bus/arrival: Finlandia Hall. Walking tour at the site
Completed construction
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is the largest multi technological applied research organisation in Northern Europe. Personnel of hole VTT is about 3000. The primary role of VTT is to carry out research and development work, technology transfer and testing. VTT’s underground study premises are located in Espoo, in Otaniemi campus about 1 mile west from city centre of Helsinki. Underground study premises have a total volume about 135 000 m3 and a total floor area 15 000 m2. The underground research hall is situated under one of VTT’s office building, where about 300 people works. About 50 persons from these are working in the underground areas in the field of applied research and testing. In time of crisis the underground research hall can be used as a shelter for 5000 people.
