Electric heating in the world’s tallest timber building in Norway
Mjøstårnet is an 18-storey mixed-use building in Brumunddal, Norway.
Officially the world's tallest timber building at 85.4 m (280 ft) tall, Mjøstårnet translates as “the tower of lake Mjøsa”. The building is named after Norway’s biggest lake, which it is located beside.
Designed by Norwegian studio Voll Arkitekter, Mjøstårnet has a combined floor area of around 11,300 m2 (122,000 ft2).
The building offers a hotel, apartments, offices, a restaurant, and common areas, as well as a swimming hall in the adjacent first-floor extension. This extension is about 4,700 m2 (51,000 ft2) in size and is also built from wood.
The challenge: Cost-efficient heating system, ensuring high comfort for hotel guests and no maintenance costs for hotel owners
When working on commercial buildings, hotels, offices etc. investors usually face several challenges when considering the building’s heating. For instance, in the hotel area cost and energy efficiency is highly important, but comfort of hotel guests should not be compromised. These need to be balanced with low or no maintenance costs, if possible.
As Mjøstårnet, building was aiming for full sustainability, the right choice of heating system became even more essential. Since by 2050, 84% of electricity demand is aimed to come from renewable energy sources, as says the European Commission, electric heating would comply with sustainability of the building.
The solution: Robust electric heating cable with 20-year warranty brings sustainable warmth
All 72 hotel rooms are equipped with electric underfloor heating installed in bathrooms. A robust heating cable with concealed joints was used, meeting the M2 requirements of the tough IEC 60800: 2009 standard. The heating cables have a 20-year warranty.
Mjøstårnet has already received both national and international recognition for the building with the awards at the Norwegian Tech Awards in the Building and Construction category, and Gold in the New York Design Awards 2018 in the Architecture - Mixed Use - International category.
The result: Innovative example of sustainable building
The world’s tallest wooden tower in Brumunddal—where emphasis has been placed on using materials using expertise from the local area—is gaining a lot of international attention. It shows great potential for making construction greener by using more wood.
Mjøstårnet is an innovative example of a sustainable building in an industry responsible for huge emissions.
Project overview:
System output: 300 W/m²
Installed power: 21,6 kW
Year of implementation: 2019
Facts about electric heating:
Electric heating is energy efficient and environmentally friendly, meeting your needs in various applications. It enables great comfort and convenience while ensuring user-friendly solutions with lasting effects and the highest quality standards.
Electric heating solutions are supported by legislation in key European countries. Directives that are coming into force in the biggest European markets give the green light: use eco-friendly systems and new materials to ensure energy saving.