A Norwegian Eco-office  

Cool green building of the week from Inhabitat is this Norwegian office block - A-Lab Unveils Stunning Eco-Office for Norway.

This stunning energy-efficient office recently won a competition to design the 2012 location for Norway’s oil company StatoilHydro. Conceived by Oslo’s A-lab, the modern and flexible office compound took the winning bid from a pool of some 40 entries. The new site and office center brings together two previously separated buildings, opening up more efficient communication and reducing the need for cross-town travel and courier services. Five separate wings lie on top of each other in the shape of a star, keeping particular offices regionalized while still attached.

The office’s interior was designed to facilitate flexible functions with rooms that can adapt from large meeting centers to multi-person offices. The building’s interior climate will be controlled by district heating and cooling, an energy and cost efficient method that reduces wasted heating power and can reach a large amount of space. Outside, a park and gardens will surround the office leading out to the Oslo waterfront in Fornebu. Some details of the structure have yet to be divulged, however zoning is set to begin shortly. The building will open for business in the fall of 2012.