The new work of the Snøhetta bureau is not remarkable either as an architectural form or as an artistic expression, but is extremely interesting for those by whom, how, where and why it was created. First of all, it cannot be said that the authorship belongs exclusively to "Snøhetta". The Powerhouse Kjørbo project in the Oslo suburb of Berume is a collaboration of several firms working together to solve a specific problem. Environmental organization ZERO, aluminum producers Sapa and Hydro, construction company Skanska, consultancy firm Asplan Viak and property management company Entra Eiendom have teamed up with architects to accomplish what they say has never been done before. - to reconstruct an existing office building into a positive-energy building. The result of their interaction was the renovation of two office buildings that make up the complex, built in the 1980s.
This project is caused by the concern of its authors about the future in the context of global warming, especially since the construction industry, which continues to negatively affect the Earth's climate, played an important role in the emergence of this process. In order to somehow influence the current situation, the project participants developed simple and logical solutions that form a method on the basis of which it is possible not only to build a building that provides itself with energy, but any existing building can be turned into a system that produces more energy than it consumes. This is very important as 80% of the buildings in use today will remain in service for the next 40 years. To significantly reduce energy costs, you need to understand what can be done with them.
The two Powerhouse Kjørbo buildings, with a total area of 5,200 m2, consumed 250 kW / m2 annually, but after reconstruction their energy consumption has been reduced by 90%. In addition, they now generate 200,000 kWh annually, and only about half of this is needed by the offices located there. The rest, returning to the national energy system, serves as compensation for the energy that was spent on reconstruction, including the processing of materials, as well as the cost of renovating the building in the future.
The principles developed and applied in the Powerhouse Kjørbo project are indeed quite simple. First of all, the building is served by a geothermal heating and cooling system. Spiral staircases also serve as ventilation shafts and thus provide natural ventilation in the building. A lot of attention was paid to thermal insulation of both windows and walls, and, according to the designers, the heat loss is really minimal. And, of course, there are solar panels on the roof, which are responsible for energy storage.
Working with materials in this project is also interesting. When choosing them, the full cycle of their life with subsequent processing and the amount of energy that was spent on their production were taken into account. All materials used in the reconstruction can be recycled later without losing their qualities, such as, for example, aluminum, from which all window frames are made. All glass remains from the old building. And a modern soundproofing solution, thin hanging panels on the ceiling and walls are made from recycled plastic bottles.
According to the authors of the project, if all office buildings in Norway were reconstructed in this way and produced more energy than they themselves need, it would be possible to fully provide the received electricity to 300,000 homes.
The Powerhouse Kjørbo project can be called a “product” of a sense of responsibility not only of architects, but representatives of business and society in Norway. This experiment - a guide to action, where universal solutions are illustrated with a concrete example - says a lot about the ethical norms in the context of which it arose.
