Plantefagbygningen 2022

In the 2018 campus plan, there was a directive to consolidate the plant science environments closer to the Center for Climate-Regulated Plant Research (SKP). These environments were spread across many different buildings on campus. After several investigations and various location proposals, it was decided to place the building at the back, that is, on the south side of the Center for Climate-Regulated Plant Research. This area is right on the edge of the park’s protected zone and offers a fantastic view.”

In 2020, DARK Arkitekter had the sketch project ready. A building connected to SKP with a glass corridor, with 65 workplaces and meeting places over two floors and a basement. The project itself was carried out as a collaborative contract and was mostly completed on time, although the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the project.

Architect Roar Lund Johnsen designed a modest and robust building, with a flexible layout and good meeting places. In his work, he emphasized that the building should fit with the surrounding protected buildings and park area. His choice of clean lines in the design of the building and the use of brick as a material was deliberate and successful. Already on the same day the scaffolding was taken down, it felt as if the building had always been there.

The building has 65 workplaces and a teaching room with a fume hood. This is mainly to be used for teaching various plant-related subjects such as plant biotechnology and plant physiology. Plantefagbygningen is a low-energy building with a solid wood roof structure that is prepared for possible future solar panels. The building has triple-glazed windows and is very energy-efficient. Tests show that heat loss leakage is within the criteria for passive houses.

In the early phase of the project, a lot of work was done with shadow calculations and placement, so that the new building would not shade the existing greenhouses in the area. Measures were also taken to ensure that the infrastructure related to SKP (the Center for Climate-Regulated Research) would not be damaged or affected during the construction period or afterwards.

The building was completed in December 2022 and taken into use in January 2023. The building is 1350 square meters (BRA) and was constructed at a cost of 70 million kroner.