Nokia Arena receives an ISO Certification as a responsible venue

Nokia Arena has a fresh ISO 20121 certificate in its pocket. The standard provides guidelines on responsible venue practices in social, economic and environmental point of view, as well as on developing and monitoring operations. Also, already at the construction stage, the gold level of the international LEED environmental certificate was set as a design goal.

Both the ISO standard and the LEED certification enable commitment to responsibility in a way that is recognized worldwide. Events around the world face different types of sustainability challenges, but it is possible to respond to them individually within the framework provided by the ISO standard. LEED, on the other hand, is a holistic system that does not focus on just one aspect, such as energy, water or the healthiness of the building, but looks at the entity so that all the important elements work together to achieve the best possible outcome. Nokia Arena has taken a lot of concrete steps to minimize the carbon footprint, and is constantly measuring relevant variables.

“We minimize our energy needs with LED lighting and displays. The lighting is dimmed when there is enough daylight. The arena is mainly air-heated, so the energy efficiency of ventilation plays a major role in overall energy consumption. That’s why we are using the exhaust air heat recovery system. Energy consumption has been reduced through building automation system for energy-efficient ventilation control and dehumidification. In Tampere, the district heating comes from renewable energy sources and in the summer, the natural coolness of lake Näsijärvi’s basins is transferred to the district cooling network. Also the need for cooling has been reduced with the help of shading grilles. And what’s great, the electricity we use is 100 % wind power. It is not the cheapest option, but a conscious decision and principle that we are proud of”, says Jani Helenius, Property and Safety Manager at Nokia Arena.

The location of the arena in the heart of Tampere allows visitors to arrive on foot, by bike and by public transport – the latter even further away, as the location near the railway and bus stations is ideal. “We have recently signed a multi-year agreement with the national railway company VR to run additional event trains”, Elina Tikkakoski, Sales Director at Nokia Arena, says. In addition, all the waste is recycled and the durable plastic mugs used in events circulate for considerably longer than once.

Responsibility for people and society

Responsible and sustainable operations does not only mean evaluation in environmental point of view, but also social and societal aspects.

“On the social side, one aspect is the completely Finnish ownership base, which means that all the taxes are paid to Finland. And of course, the responsibility affects the staff as well. The safety of both our staff and our guests is paramount. There is a zero tolerance for discrimination. The event industry also uses quite a lot of voluntary work, and the salary is not self-evident. At Nokia Arena, every single employee making the event happen gets paid”, Tikkakoski emphasizes.

Obtaining ISO certification is an important milestone for Nokia Arena and deserves a small celebration, but the work does not end there. “One important aspect of certification is the regular measurement, review and development of responsibility factors. It’s a great starting point to continue the important work”, Tikkakoski and Helenius say.

Additional info

Nokia Arena

Sales Director

Elina Tikkakoski

elina.tikkakoski@areenatampere.fi

+358 50 321 4640