Valo
valo.fi/enReal estate developer DU Properties chose Smartvatten’s water monitoring service to track and analyze the water consumption of its VALO property already during the construction phase. The long-term commitment to sustainability in the office and hotel building, completed in 2020, was recognized last autumn with a BREEAM In-Use environmental certification at the Excellent level—an achievement in which water efficiency played a key role.
A high occupancy rate is a vital part of sustainable real estate business. Nevertheless, the majority of office and hotel spaces in Finland remain empty for large parts of the day. DU Properties is tackling this challenge by developing and building multifunctional properties where sustainability is reflected in everything from flexible space use to energy-saving solutions and material and furniture choices.
It’s easy to grasp the significance of water use when you consider the sheer number of water fixtures in the building. There are 422 hotel rooms, each with a sink, faucet, toilet, and shower. In comparison, a typical office building has about 10 percent of that, explains Tuomo Mertaniemi, CEO of DU Properties.
One of the company’s signature projects is the VALO property located on Mannerheimintie in Helsinki, best known as the hybrid VALO Hotel & Work. The building, completed in 2020, covers 20,000 square meters across seven floors and is in use 24/7—making responsible water use especially important.
The solution to managing water use was found in Smartvatten, a company committed to being a reliable partner, expert, and frontrunner in responsible water consumption.
One of the key enablers of water efficiency in the VALO building is Smartvatten’s remote water consumption monitoring service, which was agreed upon with DU Properties before the building was completed. The system, which tracks water use in real time, simplifies the measurement of consumption in a large building and helps maintenance staff detect leaks that may otherwise go unnoticed—leaks that could eventually lead to costly property damage.
It’s highly likely that, at some point, one of the property’s 600 toilets will begin leaking unnoticed. Smartvatten’s intelligent system detects unusual consumption patterns and flags them for further investigation, says Mertaniemi.
With hundreds of users each day—ranging from hotel guests to office workers—the building sees a wide range of water usage behaviors. This is why water-saving fixtures like modern faucets, showerheads, and toilets play an important role. These devices save water by operating at lower-than-average pressure levels. All dishwashers and washing machines in the building were also selected based on their water and energy efficiency.
This collaboration is a great example of Smartvatten’s strategy in action. Our goal is to help customers not only measure their water consumption but also understand the data, detect potential leaks, and support their sustainability efforts, says Marko Pitkänen, Key Account Manager at Smartvatten.
So far, Smartvatten’s remote monitoring service has made managing VALO’s water management easier—and also contributed to the building’s sustainability certification. In autumn 2022, these efforts were recognized with a BREEAM In-Use certification at the rare Excellent level.
A certification conducted by an external party validates our responsible choices and directly impacts the property’s value. It has already been acknowledged on the market, Mertaniemi notes.
The importance of sustainability is expected to continue growing in the real estate sector in the coming years. DU Properties has taken this into account in its strategy: the company aims to certify all of its properties with environmental standards.
We see strong potential in continuing our collaboration with Smartvatten, Mertaniemi emphasizes.
We are continuously developing our service based on customer feedback, so we can meet the real estate sector’s growing needs across the entire water cycle. Thanks to active collaboration, our customers can rely on the fact that a partnership in water efficiency means not just measuring consumption—but having the expertise and solutions to adapt to changing conditions, Pitkänen concludes.
DU Properties
DU Properties is part of SSA Group, an investment company founded in 2012 that creates value by owning, acquiring, and developing companies operating in the real estate value chain.
