A new mixed-use project in Oslo from Snøhetta has been completed following a nine-year design and development phase that culminated in 118,400 square feet and 18 floors with restaurants, an office component, and 40 apartment units all built in.

Vertikal Nydalen is the focal point of a new town square in the Norwegian capital and features a self-sufficient climate system bolstered by PV panels, geo-wells, heat pumps, and an advanced building monitoring system that allows user feedback to inform its controls.

The project was born out of a pilot program that combined two research efforts supported by the Research Council of Norway. It focused on enhancing the building’s ventilation strategy and helping its heating/cooling systems run with little added energy at an efficiency rate of up to 2.5 times the industry’s current leading standard.

Snøhetta's Kjetil Trædal Thorsen says: "We are proud to finally be able to showcase the whole of Vertikal Nydalen and the work that has gone into designing a multi-use building with natural and balanced ventilation and minimal energy consumption. As architects and members of the construction industry, we have a great shared responsibility to find viable solutions to the immense environmental challenges we face today."

A total of 43 steel-finished balconies protrude from the building’s heat-treated pine facade, angled and perforated to capture light while giving the architecture an expressionistic character belied by large windows and a set of untraditional solutions in its interior. The facade system is designed to foment pressure differences that enable air to move through the building via carefully placed valves that can be opened or closed when necessary to increase circulation in the offices. 

This also reduces the need for future remodeling and technical maintenance inside. Two rooftop terraces complete the design, best with small planter boxes that double as rainwater collection points. A selection of plantings helps to stimulate micro-climates for vulnerable bee and butterfly species. 

"Our ambition has been to create a building that not only achieves the highest standards of sustainability but also appeals to our clients. This required us to push our limits, as well as those of Snøhetta's architects and our contractor, through participation in multiple research initiatives to develop new and effective solutions," Øystein Thorup, CEO of the project's client Avantor, said finally in a press release. "We take great pride in Vertikal Nydalen and our accomplishments here. Moving forward, we plan to share our insights with the industry to contribute to more sustainable practices in property development."