Tag Archives: Snøhetta

Snøhetta Builds A Timber School In Norway with 90% Energy Self-Sufficiency

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Kautokeino is located in Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, and suffers from extremely cold temperatures that can hit – 45 °C. Snøhetta was commissioned to build a brand-new cultural and education hub in this difficult location. A lot of thinking and attention to detail went into building this sturdy wooden structure which is supposed to be 90% self-sufficient in heating and cooling. Named, this building was constructed in collaboration with Joar Nango and 70°N arkitektur. The word ‘Čoarvemátta’ is derived from the Sami words for horn and root, which are the strongest parts of the reindeer’s antler. The hub is inspired by the local Sami culture and will be hosting the Sami National Theatre Beaivváš and the Sami High School and Reindeer Herding School.

Designer: Snøhetta

The structure occupies around 77,500 sq ft and is constructed mainly from wood. It features an impressive 53,000-sq-ft sloping roof that slowly moves towards the ground. The exterior was built using the slate from a previous school which has been demolished. The hub has a branching shape which creates surreal outdoor spaces. The south-facing space functions as the main entrance, and is protected by the dipping roof. The interior is equipped with theater and school areas, as well as a cool skylight inspired by a traditional Sami smoke hole. The interior is subtle yet beautiful, letting the natural beauty of the wood truly shine. The interior is also amped with traditional art by respected Sami artists. These pieces add hints of red and blue to the space, livening it up.

“The building is 90% self-sufficient in energy to heating and cooling thanks to 40 geowells drilled about 250 meters [820 ft] into the ground,” said Snøhetta. “The wells supply two heat pumps that both heat and cool the building, while exchangers for the energy wells dump surplus heat back again. On the coldest winter days, the system is supplemented with an electric boiler.”

The Čoarvemátta is in complete accordance with the requirements of the Passive House Standard – a strict green building standard that needs a high level of insulation and air-tightness. The hub also utilizes geothermal heating. The landscaping around the Čoarvemátta has been kept natural since Sami culture does not include creating parks and urban spaces. The soil that was removed from the site has been preserved, stored, and returned, ensuring the safety of the seed stocks.

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Snøhetta’s Newest High-Rise Maintains A Comfy Temperature Indoors Without Any Grid-Based Power

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Dubbed the Vertika Nydalen – this impressive high-rise is Snøhetta’s recently completed project. Located in Norway, this energy-efficient high-rise is truly one-of-a-kind! The studio merged an ingenious design with sustainable features to form a high rise that maintains a comfy temperature throughout the year, without the need for any grid-based power.

Designer: Snøhetta

The Vertikal Nydalen features an asymmetrical shape, and it includes two connected towers. The towers were selected to protect views for the neighbors, thereby leaving no nearby plaza in the shade. The exterior of the structure is finished in pine, and with age, the pine will convert from brown to grey. The building is marked with jutting steel balconies, which contrast perfectly with the warm and raw wood. The interior of the Vertikal Nydalen includes restaurants on the ground floor, with an office space above, and around forty apartments on the upper stories.

The high-rise doesn’t need any grid-based power to cool or heat the interior. It doesn’t even need it to ventilate the interiors, but grid-based power is used for lighting. To ensure a comfortable temperature is maintained, the studio used a “triple zero solution”, which basically uses geothermal wells buried in the ground. The wells circulate water through the high-rise’s clay walls and concrete slabs, whenever it needs to be cooled or heated. The roof contains solar panels which run a heat pump, which also contributes to the heating and cooling system.

A generous amount of glazing has been incorporated throughout the structure to maximize natural light inside. No fans are included, instead large vents have been placed, which open automatically when the need arises. The angled walls have been constructed to keep the interiors well-ventilated.d

“As traditional ventilation systems in office buildings often require a lowered ceiling of up to one meter from the slab, this natural solution without ducts and fans saves a lot of space – space that is better used for light and openness, and that can drastically enhance the spatial qualities of the rooms,” said the studio. “The angled facade is designed to create pressure differences that enable air to move through the building. The air enters through valves in the facade, which open and close as needed. When two windows open on different sides of the building, the pressure difference forces the air to move through the premises, so the air circulates.”

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Snøhetta Creates An Innovative & Compostable Light Made From Hemp

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Acclaimed Norwegian studio Snøhetta collaborated with lighting brand Ateljé Lyktan to design the Superdupertube – an innovative office lamp made using extruded hemp and sugarcane bioplastic. The hemp-based lighting is a contemporary update of Ateljé Lyktan’s Supertube which is an office light from the 1970s. It was made from extruded aluminum.

Designer: Snøhetta & Ateljé Lyktan

“[The Supertube] had finished production in 2010 or something like that, so it was iconic but sort of forgotten,” said Snøhetta partner Jenny B Osuldsen. “And it’s a tube. It’s not rocket science but it is what you need for a smart lamp in an office.” “We really loved it and think it has a lot of possibilities, so we wanted to upgrade it to a new level,” she added. The lighting design is made from hemp, and it can be industrially composed.

The extrusion technique used to create the original Supertube was developed in the 1960s, and both brands wanted to produce a lamp that was inspired by and pays tribute to the original design. But, at the same time, they wanted to lower the carbon footprint of the lamp and picked the most sustainable material they could find, which is hemp – a material known for being renewable and durable. They experimented with different materials, before finally picking hemp bioplastic to build Snøhetta’s first office lighting design.

Snøhetta and Ateljé Lyktan sourced the hemp used for the lights from the Netherlands, as the quality of the hemp from Swedish farmers “wasn’t quite there yet”, according to Gadd. The hemp used for the lighting design was sourced from the Netherlands, as they believed the quality of hemp from the Swedish farmers “wasn’t quite there yet”, according to Gadd. The hemp is then mixed with polylactic acid bioplastic which is derived from sugarcane, wood cellulose, and other minerals to form a fossil and gas-free composite. This material is then extruded to form the main body of the lamp, which also includes injection-molded louvers and side covers. The electric cables are covered in linen fabric. The lamp can also be composted in an industrial composter, or even recycled and transformed into pellets to build more lamps.

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Snøhetta Designs A Suspended Off-Grid Treetop House With A Serene Connection To Nature In Norway

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Designed by Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta in collaboration with engineer Tor Helge Dokka, this off-grid three-bedroom family home in Kongsberg, Norway is called House Dokka. It occupies 2045 square meters and is inspired by treehouse architecture. The home was created to share a serene connection with nature, allowing both to embrace one another. The house is also called Column House, and it was awarded the Architecture Prize for 2023 by the Kongsberg municipality.

Designer: Snøhetta x Tor Helge Dokka

The quaint House Dokka is deftly suspended over the stunning Norwegian landscape, as it is perched on large wooden columns, that have been firmly grounded into the rock, to minimize any kind of interference or disturbance to the surrounding environment. House Dokka was built using locally produced cross-laminated timber, and glue-laminated timber. Both the timbers ensure that the home can be easily deconstructed with minimal climate costs, whenever the life cycle of the home comes to an end. No nails were used in the construction of the home, which allows the materials to be easily sorted and recycled in the future.

Snøhetta’s goal of sustainability for the home is seen throughout the structure in the form of the large photovoltaic panels on the roof, superior insulation as well as a waterborne heat system that is linked to the ground via a source heart pump. In turn, the home produces more energy than it consumes in less than a decade! Besides generating energy for the house itself, energy is also generated for charging the family’s electric car, almost 75% of it.

The home has an eye-catching and appealing exterior which is accentuated by the black-stained timber paneling that clads it. The interiors of the home feature warm timber paneling and polished concrete flooring, which are paired up with massive black-framed windows that provide access to stunning views. The home contains two levels, with the upper floor housing an open-plan living and dining area, kitchen, master bedroom, hidden bathroom, and a timber outdoor terrace. The lower level accommodates two more bedrooms, as well as a home office, guest suite, lounge, laundry space, and a central shared bathroom.

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