Parents at a Helsinki kindergarten are complaining about deafening construction noise from a massive demolition project next door. The noise comes from the demolition of Jätkäsari's Bunkkeri building, located directly beside the daycare center.
Children at Jätkasaari Kindergarten now wear hearing protection during outdoor playtime. The noise levels have become so intense that some children fear going to daycare.
Atte Kankaanpää's child was recently too frightened to enter the kindergarten gate due to the noise. The parent told reporters they had to get hearing protection for their child immediately.
The demolition involves breaking down the building's concrete pillars, creating extreme noise levels. Project manager Jarmo Metsälä from Helsinki City said the loudest phase should end within two weeks.
Construction crews work Monday through Thursday from 7 AM to 6 PM, with a mandatory break from 3-5 PM during children's afternoon outdoor time. This schedule follows noise regulations but doesn't eliminate the problem entirely.
Parents filed about ten noise and dust complaints this autumn. Many more complaints came during the project's initial phase that began earlier this year.
The current noisy phase started in August, one month later than planned. A seagull nesting situation caused the delay. Bird families living on Bunkkeri's roof needed protected breeding time before demolition could proceed.
Why did demolition coincide with the school year starting? The seagull protection period pushed the schedule directly into the autumn semester.
Metsälä acknowledged the challenges of such a large demolition in a dense urban area. He said the project requires sensitive handling given the multiple nearby neighbors.
The kindergarten and local elementary school receive weekly updates about construction phases. Still, parents want more cooperation between area daycares to arrange quieter outdoor options.
Kindergarten director Tiina Ivakko declined interview requests about the situation.
Available alternative parks cannot accommodate all children simultaneously. The main alternative park space only fits a few groups at once, leaving most children with indoor options only.
Parents filed an official disturbance notice with the city mentioning children's hearing protection use. Subsequent inspections confirmed construction crews reduced noisy work phases and further limited work hours near the kindergarten.
Not all parent requests could be accommodated. Proposed morning break periods during children's outdoor time were rejected. Metsälä explained that multiple daily breaks would require hours for equipment moving, significantly slowing demolition progress.
This represents a classic urban development conflict where necessary infrastructure work clashes with residents' daily lives. The situation highlights the challenges of managing large-scale construction in densely populated neighborhoods.