Kivisydän underground parking, Oulu

There was quite a bustle around twenty metres below the centre of Oulu in the spring of 2015, as the construction of the Kivisydän car park was progressing swiftly. In the winter, the excavation and concrete spraying of the cave network, named Kivisydän (Stone Heart), were at a point where the installation of technical services could be started, and so dozens of installers began their work.

Choosing Meka as the supplier of the cable support systems in Kivisydän was an easy decision according to Kari Kinnunen, Project Manager at EMC Talotekniikka Oy. ‘I have cooperated with Meka since the times of EMC’s predecessor, Sortavalan Sähkö, meaning for over 30 years. Cooperation has always flowed smoothly.’ Especially with a site like Kivisydän that can present quite a bit of surprises along the way, a familiar supplier is particularly important. Supervisor Antti Tihinen shows the changes and requisitions list they kept on a notebook paper. ‘The internet connection is not stable underground, so this has been the easiest way of keeping record of the changes. We took a picture of the paper and sent it to Meka, and new material was delivered on site without any delays.’

Approximately 300 kilometres of cable was used in the 4.5 hectare cave complex, requiring a 15-kilometre tray network. Furthermore, the lighting systems at the car park required 10 kilometres of lighting suspension rails.