Eiksveien 116, Bærum, Norway

Important to have interdisciplinary collaboration in early phase. In our project the decision to connect a battery to the solar system came late in the process and therefore it had to be placed outside the building.

Make it easy. Simplifying the technology. If you can, use natural factors, for example vegetation as natural sun screen. Consider orientation when placing windows and rooms.
Heating and cooling systems that are individual for each housing unit. People have different needs.

The target building performance was to create a good environment for the people who live in the building. Create good homes for the residents and make a good place to work for the staff. A combination of good functionality, an attractive residential building with minimal negative impact for the environment and carefully adapted to the location.

Interdisciplinary collaboration was necessary. We were struggling with planning restrictions all the way. The program demanded more floor area (square meters) than allowed at the plot.

Demands on mass timber construction in the interior was tricky as we had to consider fire and acoustics regulations. Increased demand for natural light by the residents and noise transfer between the flats was also an issue. Energy issues were the easiest part. We achieved the desired results, but we used a lot of time discussing possibilities.

This was to be a learning project, but no one would take the risk to do something which wasn’t documented before. That was a problem. I think Bærum municipality, as the project owner, should have been more active in this process.

We hired a consultant to do the certification process. Basic knowledge about building physics, building materials and related subjects that affect use of energy are important for designers to consider from an early phase in the project. Grønn byggallianse (Green Building Alliance) and SINTEF are important sources of knowledge. As a designer you have to be interested in energy issues and environmental sustainability to design a good building.

I can’t see that there was any regulation barrier that prevented a PEB. Norwegian government encores this kind of building. However, there may be problems with capacity in the overhead power grid for the utilization of excess energy.

This is a wooden building built and designed in traditional modern Norwegian style and implementing Norwegian laws and regulations for this kind of residential building. The insulation values are increased compared to the regulations and there are better U-values on the windows and doors. Building in wood is tradition in Norway. Solid wood in this form is a quite new construction method which has become more common in the last ten years.

PEB certification is not compulsory in this region. But having energy certification is important to increase attention about energy use and energy savings in buildings.

We use ArchiCAD but mainly for design.

Start working together across different disciplines early on.

Build an optimized project team by including a decision maker, having a stable team, and assigning dedicated consultants and project managers. Ensure the project group has enough financial resources and time to plan properly.

Make the process and documentation simpler. In my experience, the cost of documentation was too high.

Small municipalities can't afford the same costs as larger, wealthier ones like Bærum. Therefore, simplifying the process is crucial.