[Norway: 4 April 2017] Tone Bekkestad, a prestigious lecturer and highly acclaimed environmentalist, has created a home with her husband that is compatible with their style of living and commitment to the environment. Located in Billingstad on the outskirts of Oslo, this attractive property is a spacious two-storey detached functionalist house clad in Kebony, a beautiful wood recommended by leading architects, and incorporating large panes of glass throughout which provide a panoramic view of the fantastic surroundings.
Prior to her academic career as a lecturer, Tone Bekkestad published two books and worked in Sweden for several years as a weather presenter for TV4. Tone also took part in a number of popular Swedish entertainment programmes including; Let’s Dance and the Swedish version of Fort Boyard.
Initially a Norwegian catalogue house, this ambitious prefabricated home, supplied by Norhus, took just nine months to construct, despite significant modifications to the existing structure to suit the nature of the plot. Tone and her husband spent a considerable amount of time working with the project architect, Solhaug Bolig, to select the right materials and appropriate technical solutions for their house to ensure the overall maintenance of the house was minimal and the home was environmentally friendly.
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 beautiful 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 called “Swan” as it is completely safe and toxin-free.
Tone Bekkestad, Homeowner and Lecturer of Environmental and Climate issues 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.”