Seminar: The Comfort Resolution

Tighter financial constraints are putting pressure on the construction industry, prompting discussions about reducing environmental requirements and building size. But are there other elements in buildings that should be reconsidered?

The complexity and scale of technical systems in buildings have increased significantly over the past 15 years, now accounting for up to 40% of both costs and greenhouse gas emissions in new constructions. In transformation projects, extensive technical installations can even lead to the demolition of structural elements.

In the research project Hybridene, collaborators have explored how simplified and natural solutions can offer major opportunities for cost reduction, sustainability, and user satisfaction in both new and existing buildings. These solutions are rarely used today—why?

Discover new perspectives at a seminar on Wednesday, August 27, hosted by The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Skanska Teknikk, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), FutureBuilt, and Snøhetta. The seminar will feature insights from two exploratory Snøhetta projects: HouseZero at Harvard and Vertikal Nydalen in Oslo—investigating how simplified climate control and natural ventilation can reshape the future of more sustainable building design.

Attending is free, sign up to secure your place.

Program:

• Welcome
  Erlend Seilskjær, FutureBuilt
  
• FutureBuilt, Sustainability and Architecture
  Kristian Edwards, FutureBuilt & Tine Hegli, AHO
  
• The Purpose Behind Vertikal Nydalen
  Geir Thoresen, Avantor
  
• The Case, the History, and Subjective Perception of Indoor Climate
  Niels Lassen, Skanska
• Core Ideas Around “Less is More” / Natural Ventilation
  Tor Helge Dokka, Skanska
  
• Experiences and Solutions with Natural Ventilation
  Jannick Roth / Jens Mathisen, Windowmaster
• Operational Experiences from Vertikal Nydalen
  Niels Lassen, Skanska
• Historical Perspective + Regulatory Barriers and Proposed Changes
  Stine Marthinsen, Skanska
  
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Technical Installations
  Arnkell Petersen, NMBU
• Early-Phase Supervisor
  Haakon Halla, Multiconsult
• Design Tools for Natural Climate Control
  Chen Zhang & Simon Melgaard, Aalborg University
• The Future of Natural/Hybrid Ventilation in Cold Climates
  Per Heiselberg, Aalborg University
  
• Building Conservation Perspective
  Even Smith Wergeland, AHO
• The Idea Behind House Zero and How to Scale
  Ali Malkawi, Harvard University
• Technology, People, and Architecture
  Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Snøhetta
• The Comfort Resolution
  Panel led by Audun Lågøyr, Skanska
• Further Research and Closing Remarks
  Niels Lassen, Kristian Edwards & Erlend Seilskjær

Hybridene contributors: Skanska Teknikk, Multiconsult, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Aalborg University, Avantor and Snøhetta

The event will be held in English and Norwegian.

You can also watch a streaming here.