The Powerhouse Telemark outside of Oslo could be a game-changer, says developer If buildings that meet the rigorous qualifications of passive house construction seem impressive, or projects that attain the Living Building standard, such as the Bullitt Center, represent the cutting edge of sustainable design, a recently announced project in an Oslo suburb could be a game-changer, according to its developer.
The Powerhouse Telemark, an 11-story office tower projected to open in Porsgrunn, Norway, promises to not just be sustainable, but to actually produce more power than it consumes. According to 33-year-old developer Emil Eriksrød of R8 Properties, the structure, designed by the international architecture firm Snøhetta, will open in February of 2019 at a cost of $17 million. He said he ?hopes we will be plagiarized and copied, replicated in all seven continents.?
Snøhetta

The modern office, which will feature a slanted, diamond-shaped south-facing roof covered in solar panels, will achieve such an impressive level of energy performance due to a combination of rooftop production capacity, streamlined, well-insulated design, and a series of heat exchangers and heat pumps. Architects and designers expect that over its estimated 60-year lifespan, the Powerhouse project will generate enough power to pay back the energy cost of construction, production, and transportation of the materials used during the construction process.
Eriksrød says the ...