Kebony and Tone Bekkestad team up for eco-friendly housing

The highly-acclaimed environmentalist and lecturer, Tone Bekkestad, has created an ambitious prefabricated environmentally-friendly home using sustainable materials.

The house is located in Billingstad, on the outskirts of Oslo, and is clad in Kebony wood, a material recommended by leading architects. Bekkestad worked closely with architect Solhaug Bolig to select the right materials and appropriate technical solutions to ensure a low-maintenance sustainable home.

The use of natural and eco-friendly materials with the ability to withstand extreme weather conditions was a priority for this functionalist house. As such, Kebony was carefully selected for the wooden façade and the wooden decking because it is a sustainable product that requires no maintenance beyond normal cleaning, whilst being durable with a 30 year warranty even in Nordic climates – an essential component in light of Billingstad’s harsh winds and heavy rainfall. Over time the Kebony cladding and decking will acquire a silver-grey patina to suit its natural surroundings, whilst maintaining its remarkable performance characteristics.

Developed in Norway, the patented Kebony technology uses an environmentally friendly process, which permanently enhances the properties of sustainable softwood with a bio-based liquid derived from agricultural crop waste. By polymerising the wood’s cell walls, the wood gains greatly improved durability and dimensional stability, giving it characteristics similar to those of tropical hardwood. Kebony only uses raw materials from FSC-certified, sustainably managed forests, and carries the Nordic ecolabel ‘Swan’ as it is completely safe and toxin-free.

Bekkestad commented: “From the outset, we wanted a house that was attractive, suited to our style of living and above all an eco-friendly home. Having made the decision to use Kebony and other sustainable materials, we are able to avoid costly and time consuming maintenance. We are thrilled with how our new home has turned out.”

Mette Valen, Sales Manager Norway at Kebony added: “The team at Kebony are delighted to be part of this unique residential build. Tone Bekkestad and her husband have worked cleverly with Norhus to create this build and they should be extremely proud of this achievement. We would be honoured to work with both parties again in the near future.”

Follow @ManufacturingGL and @NellWalkerMG