Lahti orders data centre to curb noisy night work
Friday 18th September 2026 on 13:15 in
Finland
Lahti has ordered contractors building a data centre next to residential buildings to notify nearby residents at least a week in advance about noisy night work, Yle reports. Night work will be halted if the order is not followed.
Singapore-based DayOne is building the data centre in Kiveriö, Lahti, for TikTok. The project is located in an industrial area, but apartment blocks and detached homes are only a few dozen metres from the construction site.
A resident asked Lahti’s environmental protection authority to intervene, saying the construction had caused daily noise, vibrations and dust since work began in January 2026. The resident said the disturbance had occurred on weekdays, weekends and public holidays, including around midnight and before 6am.
The city measured the noise and sought information from the property company that applied for the building permit and from the main contractors, SRV Rakennus and Louhintahiekka. Environmental services received complaints from three addresses, while eight residents of one nearby apartment building submitted their views during a consultation.
The city concluded that the construction had caused impacts typical of building work. Its assessment considered the nature, intensity, duration and timing of the disturbance, whether the work was temporary and the fact that the project is located in an industrial area.
The environmental protection authority found that the builders had not broken the law. However, the city’s building and environmental permits committee ordered the companies to provide weekly information about night-time work to nearby residents, always at least one week in advance. The companies must also explain to environmental services why night work is necessary at each stage.
The order covers outdoor and indoor work until the building’s walls provide sufficient sound insulation. SRV Rakennus has estimated that particularly disruptive outdoor work will decrease when construction moves mainly indoors by the end of October 2026.
The property company has a building permit from the city and has applied to the Permits and Supervision Agency for an environmental permit.