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An office building proposed for Norway would generate more power than it uses

Sustainability

An office building proposed for Norway would generate more power than it uses

Over it’s 60-year lifespan, the power generated form the project would cover the energy cost of construction, production, and material transportation.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | January 27, 2017

​Rendering courtesy of R8 Properties.

An 11-story office building projected to be built in Porsgrunn, Norway would take sustainability to another level, as it won’t just make use of green techniques, be Passive House certified, or even reach net-zero standards, but will, instead, actually produce more energy than it uses.

With the fitting name of Powerhouse Telemark, the Norwegian office building is being developed by R8 Properties and designed by Snøhetta to be built and completed by February 2019 at a cost of $17 million, Curbed reports.

The building will combine a roof covered in solar panels with a streamlined, well-insulated design and a series of heat exchangers and heat pumps in order to achieve such a high level of energy performance.

The slanted, diamond-shaped building faces south and is being designed with a 60-year lifespan in mind. Over these 60 years, the architects and designers say the project will generate enough power to completely reimburse the energy cost of construction, production, and material transportation.

The Powerhouse Telemark has been in development for the past 15 months and is scheduled to begin construction later in 2017. Once completed, the developers hope the project will be copied and buildings with similar levels of energy performance will begin to pop up in countries around the world.

 

Rendering courtesy of R8 Properties.

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