Lovely logs and smart technology – a residential care home in Nokia to provide better everyday living for the elderly

PRESS RELEASE HONKARAKENNE OYJ 11^th JUNE 2021 AT 09.00

Lovely logs and smart technology – a residential care home in Nokia to provide better everyday living for the elderly

A smart residential care home made of logs will be built next year in the Taka-Lauttala district of Nokia, in the Pirkanmaa region of southern Finland, followed by three similar homes in the coming years. The homes will be built for the care services provider KoskiHoiva by Honkarakenne in collaboration with Hoivarakentajat, a company known for its log residential care homes that are gentle on the senses. 

KoskiHoiva expanding from home care to residential care homes

KoskiHoiva is a home care provider with about 100 employees, and is now expanding into residential care homes. KoskiHoiva has signed a contract with Hoivarakentajat for building four log residential care homes in Pirkanmaa, equipped with smart house technology. The first will be completed in Taka-Lauttala in spring 2022. The schedule for the other three homes depends on the availability of plots in Tampere and Pirkkala.

"We haven’t had residential care apartments before. We have served about a thousand customers in their homes, and have received many requests to continue the customer path with our own residential care homes,” says KoskiHoiva CEO Maija Halme. "I’ve been asked why build new units – were there no existing buildings available? The answer is that we specifically wanted log buildings and smart technology. Green values are also very important to us. In these facilities, we can provide a service path that is also in line with our care home concept.”

Functional, sensory-friendly facilities make life easier for the elderly

The frame structure of the residential care home is made from Finnish log processed by Honkarakenne. "The healthiness and sensory-friendly properties of logs really mean a lot to us, and to our customers and employees. Log buildings are homely and go a long way towards creating a pleasant atmosphere,” Halme says. "We have a very good understanding with Hoivarakentajat about the wishes and needs in the industry. This solution combines organic, traditional logs with modern smart solutions to ensure safety for our residents. As well as safety, the goal is to guarantee happiness, a good quality of life and meaningfulness for older people.”

Functional facilities for the elderly also promote independent living. It is easier to be active in the fresh indoor air of log buildings, and the atmosphere helps to ensure a good night’s sleep. When it comes to planning the homes they build, Hoivarakentajat places heavy emphasis on pleasant and convenient everyday life. "We are pleased with the partnership, as we can build sensory-friendly residential care homes and equip them with smart building technology for added comfort and pleasantness,” says Hoivarakentajat managing director Tarmo Kemppainen.

Finnish and ecological log construction is a value choice

The environmental friendliness of logs is important to KoskiHoiva. "Logs bind carbon dioxide, making them an environmentally friendly building material. And since geothermal heating will also be used, this is overall a very environmentally friendly choice,” Halme says. More and more builders are choosing logs for construction. "The demand for healthy and climate-friendly wood construction is growing fast. By choosing logs, KoskiHoiva not only stands out from its competitors but also acts responsibly towards the environment and its residents and employees,” says Honkarakenne project sales manager Markus Saarelainen.

Hoivarakentajat and Honkarakenne are known for durable, reliable and long-lasting log buildings. "Non-settling log is a superior building material. The compactness of the frame, easy and fast installation and the material’s maintenance-free properties are major advantages in residential care home construction,” says Kemppainen. Halme is very pleased with the collaboration between the Finnish companies. "We are a completely Finnish company. Hoivarakentajat and Honkarakenne are both Finnish. We get to combine our own experience in care services with the experience of Hoivarakentajat in building sensory-friendly residential care home construction, and Honkarakenne’s expertise in lamellar logs. The goal is to provide our customers with the highest possible quality.”

Good workspaces make staff recruitment easy

In healthy, sensory-friendly log buildings, there is no need to worry about indoor air problems. A modern residential care home is also a major competitive advantage in attracting employees. Koskihoiva’s employees have a new-found enthusiasm for smart log buildings, and a title competition for the first unit is underway. "Our employees are enthusiastically involved in developing our operations. Through job rotation, our staff can work both in home services and in these units,” says Halme.

The new log-built facilities will be an impressive demonstration of care work and those who provide it. "There are always problems with staff availability in the care sector. We have great employees at KoskiHoiva, and they enjoy working here. I’m confident that we will continue to succeed in recruitment with the new service house concept. I would like to see more appreciation in the sector for employees in light of the highly valuable work they do. We want to be a workplace that is pleasant for employees and where they feel they are listened to,” Halme says, adding that KoskiHoiva is committed to developing the entire care industry with its operations. 

Further Information:

Maija Halme, CEO, KoskiHoiva Oy, tel. +358 44 011 2252, maija.halme@koskihoiva.fi

Markus Saarelainen, project sales manager, Honkarakenne Oyj, tel. +358 040 596 6007, markus.saarelainen@honka.com

Mikko Vainioranta, chief marketing officer, Hoivarakentajat Oy, tel. +358 40 701 5325, mikko.vainioranta@hoivarakentajat.fi