The foundation stone of GTK Mintec’s new building was laid in Outokumpu
Geological Survey of Finland’s (GTK) pilot plant and laboratory, GTK Mintec, in Outokumpu will receive new office and laboratory facilities. The construction work began in autumn 2022, and the foundation stone of the building was laid at the construction site today, Friday, 14 October 2022, in a solemn ceremony. The new facilities will be completed in early 2024.
In accordance with tradition, the building’s charter, metal coins in use today, today’s local newspaper and Helsingin Sanomat, and GTK’s logo 3D-printed from the powder of the Outokumpu ore and bioplastic were put inside the foundation stone in a time capsule. The foundation stone was laid at the event by Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs, and the representatives of GTK, Senate Properties, designers and contractors.
The new laboratory and office building is part of the broader development of GTK Mintec, where operations and offices are reformed. The reforms contribute to the green transition and the circular economy.
“GTK Mintec represents the world’s absolute best in its field and its operations support the goal of creating a functioning and sustainable battery cluster in Finland. The circular economy is becoming an increasingly important theme as the world is focusing on mitigating climate change and striving to decrease the use of fossil fuels. The event is also important to Outokumpu, as the number of personnel is expected to increase from the present 40 person-years to 60 by 2025,” says Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs.
“The circular economy plays an even more significant role as raw material needs grow. Efficient and responsible processing of raw materials and the utilisation of industrial side streams are important. The renewing GTK Mintec offers a modern research environment and test plant for this,” says Kimmo Tiilikainen, GTK’s Director General.
“Increasing research capacity and the reforms bring direct benefits to our customers, as they can then test and refine their mineral processing at GTK Mintec’s laboratory and test plant in an even more versatile way. In addition, we make it possible to experiment with various new raw materials and materials from industrial side streams in order to see how best to recover, for example critical raw materials from them,” says Jouko Nieminen, Head of the Circular Economy Solutions Unit at GTK.
The building developer of the project is Senate Properties, a company responsible for premises owned by the state of Finland. To support the design work, Senate Properties and GTK together carried out an impact assessment before starting the project to identify all the things that can be affected by the facilities. At the same time as facilities are modernised, operations and processes are also developed.
“Impact assessment is a tool that brings out the cost and quality benefits of the planned space changes. Spatial solutions can be used to contribute to the logistics of operations and smoother handling of samples, but also work ergonomics and safety, for example. The best outcome is obtained when facilities and operations are developed at the same time,” says Senate Properties Chief Operating Officer Tuomas Pusa.
The size of the new building is approximately 3,300 gross square metres, and the total cost of the construction project is estimated to be EUR 15.7 million (VAT 0%). The developer is Senate Properties, designer QVIM Architects and the leading contractor Rakennustoimisto Eero Reijonen Ltd.
In construction, solutions with the lowest possible emissions are sought, e.g. in material and energy choices, such as ground source heat and solar energy.
GTK Mintec, GTK’s minerals and circular economy research infrastructure in Outokumpu, is a unique mineralogy and beneficiation technology laboratory and pilot-scale test plant for mineral processing in Europe. GTK Mintec belongs to the Outokumpu Sustainable Mining Solutions Hub and the North Karelia scientific community and is a part of the new Otaniemi Circular Raw Materials Hub research infrastructure.
Additional information
Kimmo Tiilikainen, Director General
Geological Survey of Finland
kimmo.tiilikainen@gtk.fi, tel. +358 29 503 2200
Seppo Höyhtyä, Development Manager
Senate Properties
seppo.hoyhtya@senaatti.fi, tel. +358 040 684 0706
GTK: Solutions to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and carbon-neutral world
The Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) produces unbiased research data and services to support decision-making in the business sector and society to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral world. GTK employs more than 400 experts specialising in the mineral economy, the circular economy, matters related to energy, water and the environment, and digital solutions. GTK is a research institution governed by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy, operating in Finland and around the world.
Senate Properties
Senate Properties is the property partner and premises specialist of the Finnish government. We work with our customers to create work environments that support their operations and are responsible for their maintenance. We develop the government’s property assets and take care of cultural-historical properties. Responsibility is core to all of our activities. Space for enthusiasm and success!
