Body heat to warm up environmentally friendly building
Using standard heat exchangers in the ventilation system, the excess heat generated by visitors to Stockholm Central Station can be converted to hot water and pumped to the nearby office block in order to be converted to basic heating in the offices. The precise effectiveness of this process is not yet known, but it is hoped that this source will meet 5-15% of the building’s heating requirements.
Environmentally innovative Kungsbrohuset has reached the attention of the BBC, Le Monde and media in countries including Germany, Canada, China, Poland, Russia, USA and Turkey.
“We are delighted that we have already attracted international attention to our environmental initiative, as it is our ambition for Kungsbrohuset to be a role model on the modern property market,” says Per Berggren, CEO of Jernhusen. “We hope Kungsbrohuset will attract tenants who are keen to work with us to achieve sustainable energy use and maintain an exceptional level of environmental consideration, and who value a central location with the whole world within reach. The location may be the best in Sweden from a transport point of view.”
Making use of excess heat from the surrounding buildings is just one of several elements in the creation of this environmentally innovative building. Energy consumption and alternative energy sources are also being investigated. The goal is for Kungsbrohuset to have just half the energy consumption of equivalent buildings. The building will be environmentally certified according to three different systems: Green Building; the P mark; and a new Swedish system being developed by the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Royal Institute of Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency. Kungsbrohuset, expected to be finished by 2010, will provide almost 40,000 m2 for offices, hotels, restaurants and shops.
The environmental aspect of the development of the property began on 7 December last year, when the demolition of the old building started. Any material that could be recycled was put to good use, for example the windows, which went to a construction project in Estonia, and the office furniture, which was donated to Doctors Without Borders.
About Västra City Kungsbrohuset is in situated in Västra City (West City), an area that lines the railway tracks from Riddarfjärden Bay towards Barnhusbron Bridge. In 10-15 years’ time, Stockholm is expected to have grown so much that this area will be part of the very centre of the city. A lot is already happening in the area, with several major new construction projects underway and older buildings being demolished. Future projects for Jernusen include the renovation of Stockholm Central Station and, from a longer-term perspective, building over the railway tracks in front of the Swedish World Trade Center. For Jernhusen, the construction of Kungsbrohuset is the next step in the development of Västra City. The first step in this process was the reconstruction of neighbouring building Klarabergshuset.
Read more at www.jernhusen/kungsbrohuset and www.kungsbrohuset.se.
For more information contact: Per Berggren, CEO: +46 (0) 8-410 626 01 Karl Sundholm, Projectleader: +46 (0) 8-410 032 76