The new School of Music at Örebro University is housed in a spectacular, hypermodern building comprising four sections on three levels with a huge glass facade overlooking the neighbouring forest. Inside is a concert hall, lecture theatres and rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, control room, library and offices. ÅF is responsible for the technical installations relating to air conditioning and climate control, sprinklers, heat pumps and monitoring systems.

 

Renewable energy
A special heating and cooling plant has been installed to utilise the relatively stable temperature of the bedrock to heat the building in winter and cool it in summer. The heart of the system is a heat-pump linked to 200-metre boreholes, where, depending on the season, heat or cool air from the rock can be used to raise or reduce the indoor temperature. As this system both removes and returns energy to the bedrock, the average temperature of the rock remains more or less unaffected. Efficiency in the system is also greatly enhanced by taking both heating and cooling from the same source.

 

Compared to traditional geothermal heating systems, relatively high temperatures are used for both heating and cooling. This is possible because the heat-regulating surfaces are larger than usual. The so-called cooling baffles, water-filled radiators suspended from the ceiling, cool the room in almost total silence, with no need for mechanical fans. The temperature in the cooling baffles is just below the desired temperature for the premises, thus making the system virtually self-regulating.

 

The energy gains are enormous. Other campus buildings in Örebro consume twice as much energy as the School of Music.

 

High demands
When it comes to cultural venues, not least those used for music, aesthetic criteria must not be compromised by technical installations. Rumbling fans and other noises must not be allowed to detract from the overall experience.

 

ÅF's achievements demonstrate that by combining innovation with experience it is possible to devise solutions that meet such diverse needs as the aesthetic experience of the audience, the financial restraints of the university and the well-being of the environment.

 

Other examples of similar assignments include the Naturhuset project in Örebro, Musikens Hus in Uppsala, the Sketch Museum in Lund, and the Moderna Museet (contemporary art) and the School of Music in Stockholm.