Helsfyr Puls
How to signal the office building of tomorrow?
TYPE OF PROJECT: Office
LOCATION: Helsfyr, Oslo
CLIENT: Bunde Eiendom AS
COLLABORATORS: Lark Landskap AS, Zinc As
SIZE: 9573 m2
TIMEFRAME: 2015 – 2018
STATUS FOR PROJECT: Completed
As it towers over one of the main routes into Oslo, the reflections of the setting sun throw a play of colors over the protruding rows of windows of Helsfyr Puls. With a façade cladding of recycled aluminum and a flexible internal structure, Helsfyr Puls signalizes the office building of the future.
Certified BREEAM NOR version 1.1 Excellent.
Contrast
Bryn and Helsfyr has a long history as industrial areas. However, the plot in question, located on the corner of Grenseveien and Innspurten, was the site of a low manufacturing plant from the 1990s with an incorporated gas station – none of which worthy of preserving. Since the new office building was supposed to signal the beginning of a larger transformation of the area, emphasis was put on creating a distinct contrast to its heritage.
TALL The zoning plan required a high floor space ratio. The way to meet the requirements was to let the building fan out from a particularly narrow point on the corner of Grenseveien and Innspurten. This way, the building seem more modest from Grenseveien, and from certain angles it almost looks like a spectacular movie set.
OFFSET To tone down the visual impact from Grenseveien, the façade was subdivided into aluminum-framed rows of windows that are placed offset to each other starting from the narrow corner. The framing gives the façade a three-dimensional visual effect.
MOCK UP In order to test how this 3D effect could be implemented, a 1:1 model of the window frames was made. This image displays a steel structure clad in aluminum sheets. The soft aluminum sheets may be wrapped around corners, giving them a smooth finish. Moreover, Franke Onsrud Blikkslageri managed to make sure there were no visible fastening marks on the sheets.
RAW The client Bunde Eiendom AS has an expertise in casting concrete, and have cast the entire structure on-site themselves, except the staircases, which were made from prefabricated concrete. In several spots in the interior, the raw concrete is visible on wall structures and pillars, giving the office environment a modern industrial atmosphere.
SUSTAINABILITY For the framework and the façade, low-carbon concrete and recycled aluminum has been used. Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, and the recycling consumes only 20% of the energy compared to extracting new aluminum. The roof has been planted with sedum moss in order to manage surface water. In addition, solar panels that deliver green energy to the building have been installed on the roof. Helsfyr Puls has a U-value as low as 0.28, which is close to the passive house level.
FLEXIBILITY A combination of open landscape offices and office cells can house up to 440 people. The interior is designed to easily accommodate a change of leaseholders. The ceiling height of 2.7 meters gives the offices a feeling of spaciousness.
ACTIVITY The ground floor is retracted from the façade and creates a sheltered arcade along the sidewalk on the ground level. The large windows facing the street establish contact between the inner workings of the buildings and the activity of the passersby on the street. At the leaseholder’s discretion, this space may be used for business purposes, or it may be used as a common recreational space with a canteen. In addition to a common roof terrace and a number of interior social hubs, there is an underground parking space that replaces the inadequate street parking.