Varmesentralen 1953 

Varmesentralen (The heating plant) was completed in 1953, with the purpose of serving as a central heating system for the dairy in Meieribygningen and for several of the college’s buildings. The tall chimney was a landmark, and the smoke from it was clear evidence that the heating was in operation.
 
Varmesentralen is one of the protected buildings on campus. It is built of brick and has yellow checkered windows. This follows the style of Meieribygningen located next to it. Varmesentralen was constructed between 1949 and 1953. Meieribygningen, the pilot plant, and Varmesentralen form a cohesive complex designed by the architects Morgenstierne & Eide. 

Varmesentralen has been somewhat altered and extended, and is simpler in design than Meieribygningen. It has a gable roof instead of a hipped roof and lacks detailing of cornices and eaves. Therefore, the heating plant is placed in protection class 2, while Meieribygningen is placed in protection class 1. 

The boiler house connection building is constructed of brick and has a machine test room. The boiler house is built of brick with staff rooms and a machine room. On the ground floor, there are rooms for steam and heating boilers. The roof structures are hipped roofs made of wood. All roofs are covered with tiles. There is a basement under the building, which has a total gross area of 1100m².

In 1957, an extension was built to the boiler house, with a basement in concrete and an upper floor in brick. 

A new chimney was constructed in 2002/2003. 

 
From Steam Boiler to Pellets

Over time, the university switched to using pellets for heating. The tall chimney then served a ventilation function, and it was mostly steam that came out of it. Varmesentralen was in operation until 2014. Thus, it was the heart of heat production for the dairy, work areas, common areas, teaching areas, and laboratories for 70 years.

This production should actually be called local heating. The production was done by the university itself, but since the plant is outside the buildings it sent heat to, and the heat is transferred via water in insulated pipes, it probably falls under the category of district heating. 
 
For some years before 2014, several improvements were made to the pipes connected to the district heating network. Statskraft took over the pipe network and production and built a district heating plant on a leased plot on campus in 2014-2015. The university is obliged to connect to this network. From around 2020, all the major buildings on campus are connected to this heating, meaning over 90% of the area is heated with district heating. 

 
Varmesentralen has stood mostly unused since 2014. The building is centrally located and is well-suited for conversion to other purposes that the university needs. A study has previously been conducted showing how this can be used as teaching space.

Information about building construction is sourced from the 2018 protection plan "Verneplanen 2018". 

Sources

• Verneplan for UMB. Bygninger og park i det sentrale universitetsanlegget. Part 1. UMB 2006. Pages 47-49. 
• Stortingsmelding. nr. 10 1958, p. 339. (White paper bill nr. 10 1958, p. 339)
• Norges Landbrukshøgskole, 1859 - 1959: p. 440.