SRV Infra Oy “Keeps on Rockin” with Sandvik’s DT1131i

Celebrations have been held to mark the delivery of SRV Infra Oy new tunneling jumbo. The intelligent, computer-controlled three-boom electro-hydraulic DT1131i will be used on the excavation of the REDI car parking cavern in Kalasatama, Helsinki. Its advanced technology will perfectly meet any underground challenges, delivering high quality productive operations for one of the largest infrastructure companies in Finland.

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SRV is an innovative construction company delivering customer focused end-to-end solutions on a variety of development, construction and commercialization projects. The company primarily operates in Helsinki, Finland, but also undertakes projects in other parts of Finland as well as in Russia and Estonia. In 2014 SRV strengthened its earth engineering operations by forming SRV Infra Oy. Now the company is hard at work on Finland's largest urban construction project - REDI.

REDI development, Helsinki

REDI is currently Finland's largest urban construction project being undertaken, and when complete will see the construction of a shopping center and eight high rise towers, including a 132 meter tower, which will be Finland's tallest residential building. The shopping center, located at the heart of the area, will house most of the area's commercial services and is scheduled for completion in 2018, with the rest of the buildings by 2023.

REDI was initially proposed and developed by SRV, being accepted by the City of Helsinki following a competitive tendering process. The project, which includes providing of a 'green cover' for the motorway and metro, is a significant part of the redevelopment of the entire Kalasatama district of Helsinki which will see the creation of 1,000,000m2 of new housing and 390,000m2 of office premises by 2030.

Large car parking requirement

When it opens in 2018, REDI will be Helsinki's largest downtown shopping center with an estimated 12 million visitors expected in its first year. This is hardly surprising as REDI is located at the intersection of three busy main roads. This means that 500,000 people live within a fifteen minute drive, and no less than 1.1 million within a 30 minute drive.

As REDI is so easy to reach by car, there is a requirement for the provision of car parking. Hence a key part of the development is the construction of extensive underground car parking facilities. This has resulted in the excavation of an underground car parking cavern for 1,100 cars beneath the shopping center, with a further 900 spaces being available on the lower floors of the shopping center. The Kalasatama metro station will also be located on the shopping center's third floor providing the 2,000+ residents of the towers with easy access to transport links.

Underground construction

One of SRV Infra's specialties is the construction of underground facilities. In recent years the company has constructed underground garages, civil defense shelters, tunnels and storage facilities using a variety of technically advanced and modern equipment. This equipment array is backed by the latest computerized systems for the design, production planning, technical implementation and management of the environment.

Hence, in order to provide the car parking facilities for the REDI development, and drawing on its expertise, SRV Infra Oy has excavated a "cavern". Playing a key role in this endeavor has been the company's fleet of Sandvik Construction tunneling equipment, with a new DT1131i being recently delivered to site to work on completing the underground car park.

Selma "Keeps on Rockin"

The DT1131i which SRV Infra Oy has recently taken delivery of has been named 'Selma'. 'She' is a computer-controlled three-boom electro-hydraulic drilling jumbo designed for tunneling and cavern excavation of 20-183 m² cross sections. This includes face drilling, bolt hole drilling, and mechanized long-hole drilling.

Sandvik's DTi jumbos have been designed with successful operations in mind: they are fast, accurate and user-friendly. Together with the iSURE tunnel management program, intelligent iDATA control system, high frequency RD525 drills, robust booms and advanced drill string guides, they offer an excavation result of the highest quality with the lowest cost.

To further improve the excavation process, remote access via WLAN can be chosen. This allows web-based data transfer as well as online MWD. The DTi design also offers ease of service. The components are damage-protected, and all daily service points are accessible from the ground level.

In addition, and to further provide piece of mind, SRV's new DT1131i is supported by a Sandvik Service Agreement. A Sandvik maintenance technician has also been based on-site to train the operators, and to support the jumbo's operation, ensuring its peak performance at all times.

Christening 'Selma'

In early April 2016, Sandvik Construction hosted a ceremony for the handing over of the DT1131i to SRV Infra Oy at the REDI site - the tradition being in Finland 'to christen' tunneling jumbos for good luck. At the ceremony the tunneling jumbo was given the name 'Selma' after the daughter of Sami Korhonen, CEO of SRV Infra Oy, who 'smashed' the ceremonial bottle of champagne over the side of the machine.

The features found on its new DT1131i mean that SRV Infra Oy, a Sandvik customer of long standing, has every confidence that 'Selma' will "keep on rockin" in order to help provide the underground facilities the REDI development requires. As Sami Korhonen says, "The new jumbo will supplement our existing fleet and help maintain our competitiveness in the market place."