Scandinavia’s first zero-energy hotel

Raimo Joss, White Arkitekter, talks about House of Choice.

HOUSE OF CHOICE

Sustainability at the heart of all projects

As travellers have become more conscious of their carbon footprint, might a place like House of Choice be the answer?

It is the work of White Arkitekter, one of Scandinavia’s leading architectural practices, which has sustainability at the heart of all its projects. The 11-storey building can be found in Arenastaden, Solna, a fully-sustainable city district where visitors can find leisure facilities such as the Mall of Scandinavia and Friends Arena, as well as housing and office space. Lead architect Raimo Joss talks us through its sustainable features, from solar cells to access to daylight, and use of wood.

Photo: Anders Fredriksen

EXPANDING AREA

A hotel fit for a vibrant area

“Solna is an area that over a ten-year period has expanded quite sharply,” says White Arkitekter’s Raimo Joss. “Our plot was the last plot in the master planned part that existed. The developers wanted a range of hotels that reflect different customer categories. The hotel is part of the Comfort Hotels group, a basic category in Nordic Choice Hotels’ portfolio.”

Joss points out that since Nordic Choice Hotels also has its head office there, there has been a little more investment in the materials in the foyer areas as there are office spaces that are also connected to that foyer. “Programmatically, the project is both offices and a hotel with 88 long-stay rooms and 340 hotel rooms.”

Photo: Devis Bionaz

INTEGRATED SOLAR CELLS

Sustainability at the heart of the project

“There was a very clear position from our client Fabege that they wanted to make a zero-energy hotel. We thought: how do we make this visible and how do we make architecture out of it?” The answer was just over 2,500 square metres of solar cells. “We wanted them to become an integral part of the building, so the solar cells are not just something you attach onto the building, like a wind turbine.

On the facade, the solar cells are part of the design. And you see them from the inside as well; in the atrium and the lobby.” The atrium roof has plenty of solar cells and Joss is keen to point out that the roof’s zig zag design is no gimmick; it’s a nod to the characteristic shape of solar parks, plus it gives the building some vertical interest rather than leaving it as an angular block.

Photo: Jesper Westblom

BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Sustainability and wellbeing

“Solna is characterised by a relatively large-scale architecture with large patterns. We wanted to break down the scale, and work more with the finer details” Joss explains. Sustainability heavily informed the project from the start, and Joss adds that he and his team worked hard not only in how they choose the materials but also in achieving a sense of longevity in terms of architectural quality.

The building has a concrete facade, a material not renowned for its sustainable qualities. However, the material was pre-determined from the client, and so the challenge became how to make it exciting and interesting, as well as low maintenance. “Maybe not everyone thinks it’s pretty, or ugly, and that’s not what it’s about. It’s about creating something that can last for a long time.”

Internally, Joss and his team worked with wood and wood materials with a low carbon footprint. “Not only is wood a sustainable choice, but has well-documented properties for wellbeing,” he says. The architects also incorporated other biophilic design principles such as plenty of plants and access to daylight, to enhance occupants’ wellbeing. Joss explains, “All of the hotel rooms have access to daylight, either through the atria or through windows, and this was a very important aspect for us to achieve, despite the challenges posed by the building’s volume.”

Photo: Anders Fredriksen

INSPIRING OTHERS

An inspiring scheme

It’s not only the sustainability of the architecture that is important, explains Joss, “We wanted to inspire others who contributed to the project,” The idea of zero energy and sustainability permeates throughout the project. Finally, he says, hotel guests have their part to play too, “They are also responsible for maintaining sustainability. If you shower for fifteen minutes, then you will ruin the zero energy calculation. We asked ourselves, in discussions with the hotel operator: how can you influence the customer to make environmentally friendly choices?”

Photo: Devis Bionaz

Sign up for more stories like this

SIGN-UP

STORIES

Our latest news and views English

Underpinned by our Scandinavian design heritage, we bring you regular stories about architecture and interiors, exploring natural materials, acoustics, and the creation of safe and harmonious environments.

September-24 Acoustics, Design,