Latest and Biggest Energy-Positive Building in Norway Unveiled.

The building will generate more power over its lifetime than it consumes.

A new office building called Powerhouse Brattørkaia was unveiled this week in Norway that is built on a design based on a smart city movement designed to slow climate change. It is the latest and biggest energy-positive building in Norway.

The building is expected to generate more power over its lifetime than it consumes. Powerhouse came to be through a collaboration between real estate company Entra, construction and development company Skanska, environmental organization ZERO, Snøhetta architects, and the consulting company Asplan Viak.

And this is not the group's first rodeo. The team has completed four smaller projects using this approach, however, Powerhouse is by far the largest.

The details that have been put into creating this energy-positive building are impressive. "The building has been designed based on environmental requirements. When environmental considerations come first, a new type of architecture emerges," reads the website's description.

Impressive details

The exterior is packed with solar panels giving the building an exciting and iconic architecture. Renewable energy and extremely low energy consumption are combined to ensure that this becomes an energy-positive building. 

It also features a sloping roof that faces south for maximum exposure. Inside the building, special concrete helps regulate the temperature. The building is very well insulated, with limited needs for heating and excellent ventilation. 

Located along the waterfront, the building also plans on using sea water to cool itself. Finally, the floors and offices are designed to effectively circulate hot and cold air. Since the building is constructed to generate more power than it uses, the excess energy has been made available to potential nearby users.

"By building a Powerhouse, you help commercialize energy-producing buildings. Operative buildings that produce the same or a greater amount of energy than they consume will be an important contribution to reducing global energy consumption, and consequently also greenhouse gas emissions," reads the website's post.

1 September 2019

INTERESTING ENGINEERING