Degree of Freedom participated on the winning team for a new secondary school by the river Akerselva in Oslo. The proposal was made in collaboration with Ola Roald Arkitektur and contractor NCC, and others, and was inspired by the industrial history of the Sagene district. Degree of Freedom has been the structural engineer for the project during competition, preliminary and detailed design stages, including follow-up during construction.
The school, approx. 9000m2, accommodates 540 pupils and is a state-of-the-art building with strong technical and aesthetic qualities and high environmental ambitions.
In addition to providing modern education facilities, the building serves as a meeting arena for culture, sports, and leisure activities for the local community. The project includes a sports hall, green roof terraces and extensive outdoor facilities.
Oslo Municipality places high climate and environmental demands on its projects and the Bentsebrua school is certified BREEAM-NOR Excellent. To achieve the building’s ambitious environmental objectives the school, for example, features solar panels, is built with a large amount of timber in its interior and includes a sedum roof.
The project selects machines and materials during the construction works to achieve a 40% reduction in carbon emissions compared with a standard reference project. The school essentially operates as a zero-energy building.
The building has a total of four storeys, with two of them being partially below ground level. The wide range of materials accommodates different design demands. Glulam timber and CLT slabs fit well with a typical classroom span of 7 m. The steel trusses over the sports hall are required for the 24 m span. Structures below ground are reinforced concrete, both in situ and precast elements.
Structural and façade engineering during competition, preliminary and detailed design. Technical assistance during construction, including production model and assembly drawings for timber structures.
