RANTA project, focusing on enhancing circular economy in the demolition and deconstruction processes of buildings at municipalities, has been granted the RegioStars 2019 finalist award by the European Commission. The project participated to category 4 in the competition, “Building climate-resilient cities”.

Altogether 199 projects from all EU member states, which all were recommended by their funding authority, participated to the competition which has five categories with different scopes. Green Net Finland’s Managing Director Mr. Ilkka Aaltio received the RegioStars finalist award together with Mrs. Sanni Hanbli from Uusimaa regional council (the managing authority’s representative, Finland) at the European Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels on July 9th, 2019. The award was presented by Commissioner Marianne Thyssen, Director General Marc Lemaitre and the honorary chair of the jury Mr. Lambert van Nisteljooij (in the above Figure at far right (picture: Simon Pugh photography)). The finalists were selected by an international expert jury which analyzed carefully and critically all applications.

In her award speech Commissioner Thyssen positively pointed out that the finalists and their projects showcase a good example for development projects in the European Union. The awarded projects and their consortia show the direction of future in the important development work. She encouraged the finalists to continue their innovative and brave work in the future projects.

RANTA project’s Coordinator is Green Net Finland and other participants are Sykli (a party providing Environment education), Metropolia Applied University and HAMK Applied University. In the project there was active collaboration with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa and Hämeenlinna and especially their staff focusing on deconstruction and circular economy. In addition, important co-operation took place in RANTA with selected commercial demolition operators and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the cities of Helsinki and Vantaa. The project activities focused to Uusimaa and Kanta-Häme regions in Finland. The project lasted about two years and finished in the end of January 2019. GNF participated to RegioStars now for the first time.

Please vote RANTA project for the category winner by September 9th 2019 by clicking this link.

The final report of RANTA project is available in Finnish at GNF:s Finnish language website here.

In autumn 2019 GNF and other RANTA partners are starting a new project HYPPY in the field of circular economy at disassembling and demolishing buildings. The RegioStars finalist award of RANTA encourages the whole consortium to continue the good work in the coming HYPPY project. The award is an important statement for Green Net Finland of being a first class project partner in the European scale.