Blominmäki wastewater treatment plant built by YIT receives the RIL award

The Blominmäki wastewater treatment plant won the RIL award 2022, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The winner was chosen by Member of Parliament Elina Valtonen. In her speech, she emphasised that each of the four finalists demonstrated a high level of Finnish expertise in demanding engineering.

“The Blominmäki wastewater treatment plant is a groundbreaking project that excels in international comparison. It is exceptionally demanding and of high quality, a masterpiece of underground engineering. It combines several areas of technical expertise into a seamless whole. Moreover, the fully underground location of the plant frees up space for other construction above ground”, says Member of Parliament Elina Valtonen.

According to Valtonen, this is a socially important project that fulfills an essential mission. 

“The Blominmäki wastewater treatment plant creates added value for society that will last for several decades, at least. Wastewater treatment is a concrete way to protect the Baltic Sea and an example of urban development at its best – combined with energy-wise solutions. The project is 100% self-sufficient in terms of its heating energy and 70% in terms of electricity,” Valtonen says, justifying the award decision.

"We are very excited about this award. The project has been a very significant and long-lasting one for our company. All in all, we have excavated more than 1 000 000 m3 of rock underground, constructed 12 500 m2 of above-ground buildings and a 100-metre-high ventilation stack, poured almost 100 000 m3 of construction concrete and installed around 10 000 000 kg of structural steel with, at best, around 450 professionals working together," says Pasi Tolppanen, Director of the Infrastructure segment at YIT, and continues,

"During the construction phase of the Blominmäki wastewater treatment plant, a lot of work has also been done to take the environment into account. For example, the water used in the excavation phase could at best be reused by about 2/3 through a water recycling system. Concrete was produced on site at a dedicated concrete plant, saving around 500 000 kilometres of transport. Soil and aggregates were also recycled, reducing the need for transporting earth materials. More than 12 000 tonnes of waste concrete have been used in construction, replacing virgin aggregate."

The winner of the RIL award was announced on 24 November 2022 at the House of the Estates in Helsinki. Elina Valtonen selected the winner among four finalists, based on assessments by a jury consisting of construction industry experts. A total of eight entries were submitted to the RIL awards, and the level of the competition was really high. 

The Finnish Association of Civil Engineers (RIL) grants the annual RIL award to a construction project, site or concept that best represents premium, high-quality, innovative Finnish engineering knowhow and competence. The winning projects or sites must also positively promote engineering and social development in Finland. The first RIL award was granted 50 years ago, in 1972.

The Blominmäki wastewater treatment plant is a project by the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY. In addition to YIT, its partners are Ramboll Finland Oy and Ramboll CM, FCG Finnish Consulting Group Oy, Afry Finland Oy and ARE.

Further information:
Pasi Tolppanen, EVP, Infrastructure segment, YIT, media inquiries through Group Communications, tel. +358 44 743 7536, press@yit.fi 
Henriikka Hellström, Director, Membership and Communications, Finnish Association of Civil Engineers, +358 40 554 8857, henriikka.hellstrom@ril.fi
Pirita Tiusanen, Communications Manager, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 44 240 9822, pirita.tiusanen@yit.fi 

YIT is the largest Finnish and a significant North European development and construction company. For 110 years, we have been creating better living environments for our customers: functional homes for sustainable living, future-proof public and commercial buildings and infrastructure for smoother flow of people, businesses and society. We employ 5,500 professionals in nine countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Our revenue in 2021 was EUR 2.7 billion. YIT Corporation’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. www.yitgroup.com