Downtown sustainability
Økern Portal
The construction of Økern Portal was completed in 2021 and over 80 000 square meters of sustainable thinking is now welcoming a variety companies as well as the local community on Økern in Oslo. The building contains a mix of flexible offices, restaurants, hotel and everyday amenities, as well as sports and wellness facilities, in- and outdoor greenery. This BREEAM certified commercial building is aimed to be a place to gather, it is built to be smart, efficient and green. It is not only speaking to its visitors in terms of its modern and attractive design but also in terms of its care for people’s well-being.
The building
The building process started in early 2019 with a clear focus on sustainability and interaction. Interaction between business life and everyday existence. About three years later, the doors have opened and Økern Portal has invited it’s tenants as well at the local community. The building is made up of four bodies, three of them connected in the formation of a “u” and the last one being located at the inner square and called the pavilion. A fifth structure is being raised in 2021, which will host a new hotel.
Økern Portal is a hub in the suburb Økern in Oslo, connecting public transportation and offering a mix of offices, apartments, wining and dining. The part of the building being a multisport facility is thought to be a meeting point for both physical activity and other events.
The building is actually smarter at handover than is was intended to be, and it will continue to be smarterTorstein Blumer, Project Manager, Vedal
Sustainability, greenery and humidity
The sustainability profile of Økern Portal reaches from energy efficient heating and innovative sensor technology for energy savings, to roof top beehives and indoor biophilic design. Greenery and other natural materials indoors has a shooting effect on the human. The sense of comfort and wellbeing increase when we feel connected to nature. Bringing outside in could, especially in the Nordics, have great impact on the indoor environment, the building and its people as plants and trees increase humidity.
Read our blog on humidity to understand the importance of fine-tuned humidity levels.
A multisport facility is a lot more than a gym
Today’s more extreme weather conditions are affecting athletes across the globe, making them to go inside for persistent training in predictable and controlled indoor environments. Unfortunately, the level of indoor pollutants is normally exceptionally high in sports facilities despite that research shows how performance and wellbeing is dependent on a good indoor climate. Since World Athletics put this issue in the spotlight, air quality has been in focus together with athletes’ overall performance and well-being.
We spend about 90% of our lives indoors, including the time dedicated to training and recovery. Knowing that good indoor environmental quality, performance and wellness goes hand in hand, Økern Portal has paid particular attention to the indoor climate of its sports and recreational facilities. Swegon’s demand controlled indoor climate system WISE monitor and adjust the indoor climate accordingly to varying levels of activity and occupancy throughout the space, and throughout the day.
Read more about our demand controlled indoor climate system, WISE.
BREEAM excellent, a competitive building certification
The BREEAM excellent certification of Økern Portal gives both a credible and competitive description of the facilities as its qualification is dependent on sustainability over time, saving of natural resources and attention to wellbeing of the ones living, working and experiencing the building.
Certifications such as BREEAM, LEED and WELL are with separate approaches driving the development in energy efficiency and cost-savings, human health and wellbeing in the real estate market. It is proven that certified properties, with a long-term sustainable environmental and health perspective, have clear competitive advantages. An 11% increase in value has been estimated.
Challenges
Økern Portal has with its size of over 80 000 m2 given a number of challenges, as it was a short period of time between the final design until the building was to be completed. Thanks to good planning and communication between the various suppliers, the challenges have been solved in a good way. Økern Portal was completed on time, with the result that tenants could move in as planned.
The project is one of the largest buildings Swegon has delivered its demand-controlled indoor climate system WISE to, a prefabricated solution to the level of detail that provides an innovative and energy-efficient solution with "smart" functionality.
I have not had to relate to anything other than that it works.Torstein Blumer, Project Manager, Vedal
Swegon contributes to sustainability
One aspect of sustainability is the choice of products and solutions chosen to minimize the strain on the environment. At Swegon we are producing qualitative products with high energy efficiency, developed for a long service time and we have had the honor of being a key supplier in this building project.
Økern Portal is supplied with 2400 WISE Parasol comfort modules, 41 GOLD air handling units and acoustic products, all from us at Swegon. We have sensor technology throughout the building, managing the indoor climate smartly and energy efficiently via WISE. This type of solution ensures optimal indoor environmental quality, which in turn positively affect productivity and allow people to be at their best today and tomorrow.
QUICK FACTS
Adress: Lørenfaret 1-3, Oslo, Norway
Gross area: Over 80 000 m2
Built: 2021
Builder: Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS
General contractor: Vedal Entreprenør AS
Ventilation contractor: Bjerke Ventilasjon
Consulting Engineers: Erichsen & Horgen AS
Architect: Dark Arkitekter
Businesses in the premises: flexible offices, restaurants, hotel and everyday amenities, as well as sports and wellness facilities, in- and outdoor greenery.
Environmental labelling: BREEAM Excellent
Installed products: WISE Parasol, WISE Colibri, WISE Damper, WISE IRT, WISE RTA, WISE IAQ, WISE OCS, WISE IORE, SuperWISE, WISE Director, GOLD.
