Scandinavia’s first zero-energy hotel, Nationalarenan 3 in Arenastaden, is now in the final stages of completion. The building produces as much energy as it consumes and has now achieved FEBY ‘Gold Plushus’ certification. FEBY’s purpose as an organization is to increase and develop energy-efficient construction.
Nationalarenan 3 is a unique project that aims to meet ambitious sustainability targets, while calling on the industry to build more sustainably. Some 25 geothermal energy boreholes along with a total of almost 2,500 sqm of solar panels on the façade and roof produce more energy than the property will consume. The south-facing façade and roof are both covered in solar panels, which generate enough energy in one year to power an electric car for more than 40 trips around the globe. This means the hotel has the most solar panels per square meter of any hotel in the world.
Photo credit: © Lasse Olsson
“There’s is a lot happening in the industry right now in terms of sustainable construction and the carbon footprint of the building process. Sustainability should be the hallmark of everything we do, and we are constantly working to advance our positions and lead the way. We are continuously striving to satisfy customer requirements for comfort, quality of life and low running costs, without increasing emissions,” commented Maria Jansson, Project Manager at Fabege AB and property developer for Nationalarenan 3.
The building has now been certified according to FEBY ‘Gold Plushus,’ and in order to achieve this certification the building was designed to keep heat loss at extremely low levels, as stipulated in the criteria for FEBY ‘Gold Plushus’ environmental certification. The building is supplied with cooling and heating from heat pumps that efficiently load and collect energy from borehole stores.
“The project demonstrates that even large buildings in densely populated areas can achieve ‘Plushus’ status, which is why we’re delighted that there are pioneers willing to raise the bar when it comes to energy-efficient construction,” said Eje Sandberg, Forum for Energy-efficient Construction (FEBY), which conducted a technical inspection of the project.
The 11-story high building is made up of three sections: a hotel with 336 rooms, 88 long-stay apartments and an office, which will be the location of Nordic Choice Hotels’ Swedish headquarters as of spring 2021. The hotel will also house restaurant and conference space and a lobby area. In addition to FEBY ‘Gold Plushus’ status, the aim is for the project to also be certified to BREEAM Excellent standard.
