These are the words of the Fornebu Declaration, written in 2006. Today, Fornebu represents excellent innovation and creativity in close interaction between the environment, architecture and people. The development of Fornebu is characterised by high environmental ambitions.

“Fornebu is to be a meeting place for new knowledge and old wisdom and a good society

because the people here live, think, believe and love in

From an airport to Forne “town”

Fornebu was the first airport for civil, modern and international flights in Norway, which closed in 1998. It covers an area of around 3.5 square kilometres.The first building plan was to allow room for 6 300 new homes, around 20 000 office spaces, extensive recreational grounds, large bird sanctuaries and areas for shopping, services and social infrastructure (kindergartens, schools, healthcare sites, youth clubs, etc). This plan is now under revision to allow for more homes to be built.The work of safeguarding the environment has been characterised by creativity and innovation, and Fornebu has taken several steps in the direction of low-carbon solutions. The process has benefited greatly from the involvement of members of society. Public meetings and major events providing information and attended by many parties have contributed good ideas to the planning process.Fornebu has functioned as a laboratory for modern environmental thinking and has introduced several measures never before tried out in Norway.

Never in Norway’s history has such a large and extensive area been planned and built at the same time and from scratch.

The master plan

Transportation There are plans to extend the metro

system to Fornebu. A restrictive parking strategy limits the

number of cars per housing unit and per job. The strategy and rules are stricter than those which apply to the rest of the municipality.

A high-quality network of walkways and bike paths with differentiated paths for pedestrians and cyclists has been built.

Two carpools have been established. The cars are available for those who normally use other forms of transportation to get to work, but need a car for a few hours, perhaps to go to a meeting.

Energy supply, consumption and climate A plant with two powerful heat pumps

has been built under the Telenor building, which utilises the heat in the seawater. This is one of the most environmentally friendly district heating systems in existence.

One of the world’s most environmentally friendly shopping malls can be found here. It has been certified BREEAM Outstanding, has one of Norway’s largest photovoltaic parks and has a green rooftop with 84 different species.

Storøya kindergarten is the first kindergarten with passive-house standard in the Nordic countries. It uses extremely little energy for heating, ventilation and lighting. In addition, a solar collector plant provides hot water for the building and its associated sports facility.

Building materials, waste and mass management All building projects must provide an

environmental declaration of all materials used.

A zero-balance principle for mass management means everything must be deposited or recycled at the site.

Waste is transported through an underground vacuum system. As the waste is stored and handled underground we eliminate disruption caused by conventional waste collection methods. It is also quicker and more cost effective.

Climate, natural and cultural conservation To prevent flooding, rainwater is handled

using open systems. The natural landscape has been

preserved and biological diversity is safeguarded. Wide green corridors allow ecological spread.

For more information, please contact:Mr. Arthur Wøhni, Municipality director of Communities

Phone: +47 6750 3635

E-mail: arthur.wohni@baerum.kommune.no