Puhoshalli hall, Kitee

Thanks to the expertise of our structural engineers, the hall could be raised and expanded in a way that enabled a significant proportion of the original concrete elements to be reused. The purpose of the extension was to increase the height of the large industrial hall so that the facilities would better serve the companies operating there. Constructing the raised section required opening the roof. Traditionally, the concrete elements removed from the roof would have been crushed and replaced with new ones. However, the reuse solution was developed during the design phase, bringing clear material‑efficiency and cost benefits to the project. The design process was supported by the availability of the building’s original plans and information on its components. Condition assessments and laser scanning ensured the accuracy of geometries before the elements were returned to the structure. As the components originated from the same building and had been in intact use, their reuse was feasible. Initially, the prestressed, load‑bearing concrete roof slabs and beams were lifted off the roof and stored on the construction site. All existing columns were reused in the extension, although some required strengthening to meet the necessary load‑bearing capacity. The new concrete columns were installed and cast together with the original columns, forming a unified vertical load‑bearing structure for the hall. Parts of the building that were not dismantled during the extension also rely on the original structural system. Finally, the prestressed concrete slabs were reinstalled in their original positions.