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Students tackled intelligent indoor climate system challenge at the Koja Group Hackathon
Koja Group organized a student hackathon in Tampere in April, focusing on data‑driven solutions for the intelligent control of building ventilation, heating and cooling.
Hackathon strengthens cooperation with educational institutions
The second Koja Group Hackathon was held on 8 April 2026 at the Koja R&D Center in Tampere. The innovation event for students brought together multidisciplinary teams to solve a topical challenge combining building services engineering, software development and machine learning.
“The future of building services is increasingly shaped by software, data and artificial intelligence. The hackathon offers students the opportunity to work on a real and timely challenge, while also giving us the chance to learn together with them,” says Turo Välikangas, Head of Digitalization at Koja Group.
The event is part of Koja Group’s cooperation with educational institutions and its investment in digitalization development and engagement with future talent.
Data‑driven intelligent control of indoor climate system
The challenge of this year’s event was to develop an algorithm, an AI model or control logic that dynamically controls a building’s ventilation, heating and cooling. The goal was to minimize energy consumption while maintaining high indoor air quality. The work was based on simulated building data, and the solutions could utilize, for example, machine learning and predictive analytics.
The hackathon challenge was designed with Alina Suvanto playing a key role. She has recently completed her master’s thesis on reinforcement learning-based indoor climate control and now works as a Software Engineer at Chiller Oy, which is part of Koja Group.
“The challenge worked well, and the participants approached the task with great enthusiasm. What was particularly impressive was how quickly they grasped key building services concepts and were able to apply them effectively in their control strategies,” says Suvanto.
Hackathon combines expertise and learning
Following the successful pilot event in 2025, the Koja Group Hackathon was further developed based on participant feedback. Key themes such as teamwork, a supportive atmosphere and the core idea of a time‑limited challenge were retained.
During the day, teams worked intensively on their solutions, after which the results were evaluated and tested. The event concluded with the announcement of the results and an after-party at the traditional Teekkarisauna in Tampere.
This year, three top‑performing teams were awarded, sharing a total prize pool of EUR 3,000.
Congratulations on winning a tightly contested final round: Miro Hyöty, Daniel Leppäaho, Axel Lievonen, Aaron Piipponen and Oskari Virtanen!
Thank you to everyone who participated for the great atmosphere and active engagement!
