The whole Verksbyen area in Norway represents the future of sustainable living with Metsä Wood's Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) playing a huge part of the story with prefabricated elements used in the construction of a block of environmentally-friendly apartment buildings.
Fredrikstad's new green neighbourhood, Verksbyen, will become home for 5,000 people within the next 10 years and aims to be Norway's most innovative housing project. In the long run, the developer, Arca Nova Bolig, has ambitious plans to change the housing market in the same way as Tesla has transformed the car industry.
They strongly believe in growing demand for sustainable construction, which is the backbone of Arca Nova's Future Living concept. "We have managed to reduce CO2 emissions in a variety of ways," says Ruben D. Hansen, CEO of Arca Nova Bolig - part of the Arca Nova Group. "The houses are built with timber elements according to the Passivhaus standard, and electricity is produced with solar energy and heating with solar thermal energy. Smart-house technology with voice control adds an extra touch to all of this. As a result, the inhabitants will not only live sustainably, but enjoy reduced living costs too."
Metsä Wood is an important partner in the project as the constructor Arca Nova Bolig uses Kerto® LVL products. The constructor also had help from Metsä Wood for developing its own construction concept to build tall timber apartment buildings. Arca Nova Bolig is building a total of five five-storey apartment buildings incorporating Kerto® LVL Q-panels and S-beams in the wall and floor elements. The buildings are situated in the Capjon Park area in Verksbyen, close to a beautiful lake called Sorgenfridammen. The first multistorey building will be finished by the end of 2019 with the rest complete by the end of 2020.
Ruben D. Hansen also highlights the lightness and load-bearing capacity of the Kerto® LVL products as a success plus why building with sustainably sourced wood is so important.
For the full article, go to Offsite Magazine Issue 19
