Two thirds of the building was demolished in the first stage. After that, the building is two stories smaller.
The City of Helsinki will continue the demolition of Jätkäsaari Bunker after Midsummer 2025. Preparations for the worksite will start in early June. The goal is to complete the demolition in summer 2026.
Frequently asked questions about demolition
The City is demolishing the Jätkäsaari Bunker (Länsisatamankuja 1) in phases. Lotus The first phase started in the spring 2024 and was completed in early 2025. After this phase, the building is two stories smaller. Demolition ras also carried inside the building.
The demolition of the Jätkäsaari Bunker building continues in June 2025. The worksite preparations will begin in early June.
The goal is to have the above-ground floors demolished by the end of November, with only the basement remaining. Before the basement demolition, a sheet pile wall will be built around the Bunker to support the ground. The demolition will be complete when the basement has also been demolished, approximately by the end of June 2026.
On the site of the demolished building, we will be constructing the Jätkäsaari swimming and sports centre, which is highly awaited.
The materials are first sorted at the construction site. All demolition waste will be transported away from the worksite. The waste will be processed and disposed of according to regulations.
There is no use for demolition waste in Jätkäsaari.
Yards can be used normally. The construction site area is cordoned off with a two-metre tall plywood fence for its entire circumference to prevent outsiders from entering the demolition site. It is safe to stop and walk on outside the plywood fence.
Unfortunately, the site will generate noise. Dust dispersion is effectively prevented by watering the concrete and demolition waste during demolition and the transfer of demolished concrete rubble.
A prior survey of the building's contaminants was carried out. We take additional samples as the demolition work proceeds to ensure that there is no material inside the structures that can cause harm to people or the environment. Asbestos elements were torn down in a controlled and safe manner in the spring of 2024.
The bunker will be demolished in two phases. The second phase phasewill begin in June 2025 and will be completed in summer 2026,.
Demolition takes time because the target is very large, with heavy structures. The safety of the nearby operators, such as the daycare centre and school, must also be taken into account in the choice of working methods and in the planning of working hours.
Close neighbours taken into consideration in work schedules
For now, the demolition work is carried out four days a week, from Monday to Thursday. The noisiest work on the worksite will be put on pause in the afternoons, when the local daycare children are outside at 15:00–17:00.
Work generating normal worksite noise is done between 7:00 and 18:00, and quiet work on the worksite may continue until 20:00.
A notification of noise of the work has been submitted in advance to the City of Helsinki's environmental services.
The demolition work is carried out with a long-boom demolition machine and other large machines suited to the work. The fleet is type-approved for this work, and its operational condition will be maintained through maintenance and weekly inspections.
Beam structures, shaft walls and load-bearing floors are dismantled partly by drilling and partly with demolition shears. The solid pillars will be demolished by drilling.
In addition to the work carried out with machines, workers will perform tasks such as watering, clearing, cleaning, supervising and other worksite services.
Does demolition create noise or dust?
Yes, it does. The demolition work will cause noise disruptions. The worksite operates in line with its existing noise permit.
The noise level is measured regularly at the worksite with standardised sound meters in measuring points near the worksite fence.
Demolition work will always generate noise, but the volume of the noise varies from work phase to work phase. The noisiest stage of work is spiking. Moving and loading of the scrap will also generate some noise.
How do you control the noise levels?
Noise management is mainly done through the choice of working methods and limiting working hours. Blasting work is not carried out on this site. The choice of working hours balances the duration of daily work that’s noisy with the total duration of the demolition.
The building itself is a sound barrier, so sounds are emitted the most while building parts in the vicinity of the listener are being demolished.
How is dust controlled and monitored?
Anti-dust measures at the construction site are as efficient as possible. Dust is prevented through the choice of working methods by wetting.
If dust is carried from the site to the streets in car tyres, the dust would be washed away and the car tyres would also be washed.
The quantity and composition of particles are measured with particle measuring devices. These devices are placed near the worksite’s fence, at determined measuring points. So far, the measurements have not shown detrimental dust being caused by the worksite operations. Dust and particulate matter also exist in urban areas naturally.
The asbestos elements inside the building have already been torn down in a controlled and safe manner, and the scrap has been removed in a safe container.
The harmful substances of the building have been reviewed before. We will take further samples as the demolition work progresses to ensure that there are no substances within the structures that could be detrimental to humans or the environment.
Demolition waste is transported away from Jätkäsaari, which contributes to the number of vehicles in traffic from time to time.
Access to Hietasaarenkuja, which is very narrow, is temporarily blocked.