Kaitaa station platform, preliminary sketch. Image: PES-Arkkitehdit Oy

The construction contract for the Kaitaa station started in October 2018, and the excavation contract for the station and railway tunnels was completed in March 2018. The construction contract will be carried out by a consortium of YIT Construction Oy and Are Oy. The value of the contract is EUR 47 million, and the section will be completed for traffic in 2023 after testing. The HVAC design is the responsibility of Granlund Oy for the station and of Ramboll Finland Oy for the service tunnel and the track line. The architectural design documentation of the station has been prepared by PES-Arkkitehdit Oy. 

A block of residential buildings at Kaitaa metro centre will be built around the main entrance, i.e. the entrance to Kaitaantie. There is a direct escalator and elevator connection to the platform level from the ticket hall on the ground level. 

High-standard, intelligent and high-performance Biddle air curtains were selected for the site. Stravent will deliver 11 air curtain units for the platform-level escalator and elevator lobbies and for the ground-level main doors in early 2020. 

The most significant qualitative differences in the units are in their SFP value and in the automation, i.e. how the air curtain is controlled and how it is able to take into account door heights and changing conditions. Biddle units are selected and tuned according to the door size. The design air volume of the air curtain is adjusted according to the door size (width x height), and calculations are prepared for this. For devices from other manufacturers, the installation height is not taken into account in the same way, and the device cannot be dimensioned in the same way for a specific door size. 

Biddle air curtain units respond quickly to changes by comparing the outdoor and indoor temperatures as well as the blowing temperature. The control of the air curtain intensity is based on the outdoor temperature, and the heating is adjusted according to the indoor temperature. This means it is not heated in vain, but only when needed. This improves the energy efficiency of the system, and the adjustment and control are always made in time, regardless of the conditions.