Project Spotlight - Norway

Where and what is Økern Portal?

Økern Portal is a central landmark in the Økern/Løren district of Oslo. The new build, 80,000m² development creates a sustainable community between commerce and the local community. 

What solutions did you implement in this project and how will this benefit the future of the building occupants?

The development benefits from over 2000 shading devices including external venetian blinds, screens and internal screens; helping it to achieve the optimum results when it comes to both occupant well-being and energy ambitions. The building’s shading is controlled by our TouchBuco BACnet solution, meaning it can work in harmony with the Building Management System.

Did you face any challenges throughout the project? If so, how did you overcome these?

With eight TouchBuco BACnet’s installed to control all the shades on this building, it required us to work in union with the BMS supplier, and ITB management.

The biggest challenge was to create the zones, in a way that would satisfy all the tenants; more than 2500 of them. Somfy’s Sun Tracking and Azimuth/elevation function ensures that shading performs in the best way as the sun moves across the sky during the day, so any negative impacts of the sun, such as glare or overheating are mitigated

Are there any technologies that we should be aware of?

Tracking the environmental conditions is key for understanding how your building can maximize the benefits of the shading control. For this project, we installed a weather station that enables us to track the weather conditions so the system can adjust accordingly.

We see building projects becoming increasingly smarter and more efficient, to meet the evolving regulations and the collective drive to reduce energy efficiency and carbon emissions.

Økern Portal will be certified according to BREEAM NOR level Excellent, one of the highest certification standards for buildings so needed holistic environmental thinking across the process. 90 % of the building’s energy for heating comes from energy wells and we believe it’s this type of innovative design for sustainability that will continue to be an integral part of new buildings as we move forward.

To read more about our solutions for commercial buildings in Norway, please visit our website

Image: Stema Rådgivning AS