Wicona completes the first Hydro CIRCAL 75R recycled aluminum project in Norway

In 2021, the Økern Portal, one of the most avant-garde buildings in Oslo (Norway) will open its doors. Designed by the architectural firm DARK Arkitekter, this large-scale project, located in the heart of an emerging district of Oslo, will cover 80 m². It aims to transform an urban wasteland into a futuristic business building offering multiple services including: flexible offices, a hotel, common areas and a food court.

The set has been developed according to the highest energy efficiency standards and aims for BREEAM “Excellent” certification. This is why, the project teams have notably chosen WICONA, a brand of the Hydro group, for its systems of frame facades in low carbon aluminum and recycled Hydro CIRCAL 75R. It is one of the most durable aluminum alloys currently available on the market, composed of at least 75% post-consumer recycled material, that is to say from deconstruction sites.

The Økern Portal is one of the first projects carried out in the world with facades using elements made from recycled aluminum CIRCAL 75R!

Økern Portal: futuristic building, inspired by the forest

Architecturally, the building takes the form of a forest crossed by a series of paths to connect the urban area to the east and the residential areas to the west. The “trunks” rise from a light base and branch upwards to carry the structure. The “leaves” that adorn the facade are designed to capture light and create movement.

The particular shape of the building gives it a strong identity within the vast surrounding urban landscape, while its atriums and architectural details give it a more human scale. To optimize the space available to the public, the building is cantilevered to allow users to cross it. Catering services and activity and rest areas will keep the site alive at all times.

Today, the building sector in Europe represents 40% of total energy consumption, produces 35% of greenhouse gas emissions and generates a third of the waste produced on the planet.

In 2018, 37.000 tonnes of CO² were released. This represents an enormous environmental impact but at the same time reveals the great potential for reduction that it entails. European legislation will require from December 31, 2020 that all new buildings have almost zero energy consumption and that most of their energy consumed comes from a renewable source. It also prescribes a reduction in greenhouse gases of 40% until 2030 and 80% until 2050. The building sector plays a fundamental role in achieving this objective¹.

A building designed to the highest efficiency standards

The envelope is entirely made of WICONA façade elements made of recycled aluminum at the end of its life "Hydro CIRCAL 75R", a solution seeking to reduce the environmental impact and obtain a highly sustainable building.

The project design also recommends restoring biodiversity through green roofs and local plants. Energy consumption, pollution and the supply of materials have been examined with great care to ensure sustainable construction and an extended life cycle while meeting the criteria required to obtain BREEAM certification in the “Excellent” category. this building is to create a sustainable community offering office spaces ideally located near restaurants and other cultural experiences.

14.600m² of facades made of WICTEC EL evo curtain wall by WICONA

“This building requires covering a very large area of the facade and the joinery plays a prominent role. Many discussions were held throughout the project on how to design the facade to adapt it to the requirements of BREEAM certification. We were therefore very excited to learn that with Hydro CIRCAL 75R, we could have a facade made of recycled material and would then even be able to integrate the aspect of sustainability into the facades ”, stresses Arne Reisegg-Myklestad of DARK Architects.

For the single outer layer of the building, the WICTEC EL evo curtain wall solution from WICONA was specially adapted to the project requirements by adopting a modular aluminum supporting structure with thermal break for double glazed windows in areas of vision and highly insulated opaque panels. The exterior sun protection system is based on Venetian type slat blinds. For its integration into the facade, WICONA has developed custom-made vertical guide rails and large-format horizontal decks.

The WICTEC EL evo curtain wall solution ensures a high degree of security and performance, based on multiple patents and certifications which make it an innovative and high-tech facade. It also offers a unique design freedom for each project thanks to its ease of adaptation to any conceptual need. Manufacturing takes place in the factory, which guarantees a high level of process safety and also makes it possible to achieve significant savings in terms of time and costs.

Hydro CIRCAL 75R, a low carbon aluminum made of at least 75% recycled materials, from joinery recovered from old buildings

To reduce the carbon footprint of construction materials, it is essential to control the manufacture of construction products while promoting a circular economy of the system, that is to say the recycling and reuse of the materials used.

Hydro CIRCAL 75R is a DNV-GL certified material, an independent organization which guarantees that 75% of the material comes from post-consumption aluminum, therefore from aluminum reaching the end of its life. This represents one of the major developments in recent years in terms of sustainability in the building sector.

Two figures make it possible to better appreciate the extent of this advance in reducing emissions: the average emission in Europe is 8,6 kg of CO² per kg of aluminum. Globally, the average is 18 kg of CO² per kg of aluminum. With Hydro CIRCAL 75R, this figure drops to 2,3 kg of CO² per kg of aluminum, the lowest CO² emission on the market².

The manufacturing process of the CIRCAL 75R Hydro begins at Hydro in Dormagen (Germany) where the selection of recycled material is suitable for the production of this aluminum alloy, and ends in the Hydro plant in Clervaux ( Luxembourg) where primary aluminum is added to recycled aluminum until a new material is obtained which can be used in construction. The process adopted to obtain this material is 10 times purer than conventional systems, its CO² emissions are significantly lower than the current market average, which represents a reduction of almost 40% compared to the emissions of a production process. of conventional aluminum.

Økern Portal is one of the first projects carried out with WICONA facades based on Hydro CIRCAL 75R aluminum. “We work in an industry that emits a large carbon footprint, in urban areas as well as in nature. We aim to leave a positive mark through sustainability ”, adds Tor Christian Møglebust of DARK.

Project: Økern Portal
Location: Oslo 5064
Architecture company: DARK Arkitekter
Facades by: Staticus
WICONA solution used: Custom-tailored WICTEC EL evo curtain facade

¹Source: Hydro

²Source: Hydro