Kirjatalo

Photographer: Juho Kuva

The goal was also to improve lighting, occupational safety, commercial appearance, and visitor experience. The expected payback period for the bookstore's LED investment has been estimated at around three years, solely due to the energy savings achieved.

Since the investment decision, energy costs have continued to rise, so the payback period could be even shorter, Suurla estimates.

A thorough initial assessment contributed to success.

Greenled was not the only service provider involved in the competition and assessment, but it won the project for two key reasons.

“Greenled was the most cost-effective and flexible: they were ready to conduct an initial assessment at the site even before the contract situation, so our needs would be sufficiently understood. We appreciated this,” Suurla explains.

The project itself started from the premises of the Academic Bookstore; in the second phase, lighting in other areas, such as stairwells and underground maintenance spaces, was renovated. In such a massive work site, incidents were unavoidable, but overall, Suurla describes the installation project as successful.

This is an extremely complex property, so given that, the installation went well. There were, for instance, fixtures between high ceiling prisms that could only be accessed with a maintenance lift. This required training for the installers.

The contractor is evaluated in problem situations.

In a facility like a bookstore, updating the lighting requires collaboration and interaction with several stakeholders. Negotiations at the bookstore included the Alvar Aalto Foundation, architects, property tenants, and property owners.

Suurla particularly praises Greenled's project management, which made life easier for the client: meetings with architects and other stakeholders were conducted efficiently and autonomously. Any scheduling delays that arose were also communicated early.

In such projects, the most important measure for the client is how the contractor responds in problem situations. Everyone is good when things go smoothly, but problem-solving ability is one of the contractor's most critical qualities. In this respect, Greenled succeeded, and it was pleasant to work with them.

According to Suurla, the end result is successful: energy savings will be monitored in the long term, but high-quality general lighting is already being enjoyed. In particular, the newly updated lighting at the loading dock significantly improves occupational safety.

Photographer: Juho Kuva