Touchless faucets help Norwegian school meet sustainability goals

To ensure the newly built school followed strict energy and water-saving requirements, Oras touchless faucets provided the best solution.

The wood-clad Ydalir school is a newly built complex in the Norwegian region of Hedmark – known for its timber-rich extensive woodlands – and comprises a sports hall and a kindergarten. Behind the project, local firm Ola Roald Arkitektur designed the building as part of a zero-emission neighbourhood funded by the Norwegian government, which will include over 1000 new homes, all built with sustainability in mind.

Experienced plumbers at YC Rør, who have been supplying the region with high-quality water systems since 2006, were responsible for the 8,400-square-metre school and chose to fit the space with Oras fixtures.

Most classrooms at Ydalir school and kindergarten have two Oras touchless faucets installed liked this.

“Oras could supply the kind of products that met all the requirements at very short notice,” says YC Rør project manager Morten Pedersen, “so it was an obvious choice for us.”

Energy and water-savings become a reality

The school was awarded the Norwegian BREEAM-NOR certification thanks to the building’s environmental performance and sustainable solutions. YC Rør minimised energy use in transporting water across the building and ensured that both water and lights are activated and deactivated through smart motion sensors.

When it came to bathroom and kitchen faucets, YC Rør teamed up with Oras to meet the strict energy water-saving requirements and fitted the space with Oras Electra washbasin faucets.

Thanks to the integrated touchless sensors, the faucets can ensure teachers and schoolchildren high levels of hygiene. And by activating only when used, the fixtures can cut the building’s water by half and help reduce the building’s overall energy consumption. Oras Electra faucets also come with integrated Bluetooth, allowing users to connect the faucet to an app and schedule automatic flushing to prevent water from stagnating in the system.  

Oras Electra touchless faucet in one of the school’s bathrooms.

Experts in the field

Oras was pleased for the opportunity to bring its expertise to the table. And for YC Rør project manager Morten Pedersen, Oras proved an impeccable partner and an expert in the field.

“We have been on site one day per month for the past year making sure all technical solutions worked as intended through the seasons,” he says, “we’ve had no issues and all products from Oras work perfectly.”