Mari Blokhus Nordtun

Arkitekt Christian Fredrik Morgenstierne, som også er daglig leder og partner i TUNR AS, forteller at selskapet har som formål å drive rådgivningstjenester innenfor praktisk, strategisk rådgivning og konseptutvikling innen bolig- og stedsutvikling samt arkitekttjenester. Bedriften har forretningsadresse Oslo.

– Som byggherrerådgiver bistår vi eiendomsbesittere, utviklere og kommuner. Tjenestene spenner fra mulighetsstudier og reguleringsplaner til rammesøknader, prosjektledelse og juridisk rådgivning, forteller Christian Fredrik Morgenstierne.

– Vi mener økt bruk av tre er avgjørende for å nå fremtidens bærekraftsmål innen eiendomsutvikling, og vi ønsker å bidra aktivt til denne omstillingen. Gjennom medlemskap i Norwegian Wood Cluster ønsker TUNR å være del av et faglig sterkt nettverk som jobber systematisk for å utvikle, dokumentere og fremme trebaserte løsninger i bygg- og eiendomssektoren, sier Christian Fredrik Morgenstierne.

Han leder et nystartet selskap som ønsker å bidra til at flere aktører ser de økonomiske, miljømessige og kvalitative fordelene ved økt bruk av tre, både i bolig- og områdeutvikling. TUNR jobber med prosjekter der helse, fellesskap og bærekraft er sentrale verdier.

– Vi håper å kunne bidra til å omsette klyngens kunnskap og innovasjon til realistiske, gjennomførbare og salgbare prosjekter i markedet. Sammen med øvrige medlemmer i Norwegian Wood Cluster ønsker vi å utvikle økonomisk og teknisk gode løsninger som senker terskelen for å velge tre i fremtidige byggeprosjekter. Vi mener det er viktig at også aktører på utviklersiden er representert i klyngen, og vi ser medlemskapet som en naturlig og strategisk forlengelse av TUNR sitt arbeid og verdigrunnlag, sier Morgenstierne.

CEO and partner Christian Fredrik Morgenstierne is the founder of the company TUNR AS.

Utvider kompetanse og nettverk i NWC

Klyngeleder Berit Sanness ønsker TUNR AS velkommen som nytt medlem i Norwegian Wood Cluster. Hun peker på at det har stor verdi for klyngen å komplettere medlemsmassen ved å få inn en aktør som er byggherrerådgiver og samarbeidspartner for utviklere og offentlige aktører.

– Med TUNR som medlem får vi utvilsomt inn ny innsikt og nettverk i Norwegian Wood Cluster, så vi ser fram til å bli bedre kjent med bedriften, sier Sanness.

Formelt er det styret i Norwegian Wood Cluster SA som behandler søknad om medlemskap i klyngen. TUNR AS ble tatt opp som medlem den 12. februar 2026.

Forum Wood Building Nordic is the Nordic edition of Forum Wood Building, the world’s most important conference for timber structures. “The fact that the event is now coming to Norway provides a rare opportunity to be close to both customers and the market at home.

April 16-17 builders, consultants, architects, contractors and suppliers gather for two days of heavy professional expertise, good conversations and strong networking arenas – at Oslo Congress Center/Folkets Hus. Norwegian Wood Cluster is a proud co-organizer of the conference.

For our member companies this is a unique opportunity to:

• meet existing and potential customers in a professional and informal setting
• use the conference as a framework for customer meetings and follow-up
• position your business in a rapidly developing market

The program with plenty of breaks, lunch in the middle of the exhibition area and an atmospheric conference dinner on Thursday evening – all designed for relationship building.

Exclusive member prices for Norwegian Wood Cluster (when booking by March 15, 2026):

• Sponsor: 15% discount
• Exhibitor: 15% discount
• Participant: 30% off

Does your company want to to take advantage of the opportunity as a sponsor or exhibitor? Contact persons:

Tobias Schauerte in Forum Wood Building Nordic

Mari Blokhus Nordtun in Norwegian Wood Cluster

The Norwegian Wood Cluster brings together leading industrial, technology and forest-based companies that are working together to develop the sustainable wooden building solutions of the future.

Will you take the baton?

– Our cluster leader will retire in 2026, and we are now looking for her successor. We are looking for a relationship-driven leader who is strategically strong and wants to further develop a growing cluster,” says chairman Jan Tore Meren.

As cluster leader, you will have overall responsibility for leading and further developing the Norwegian Wood Cluster. “As our figurehead, you will work closely with senior managers, professionals, researchers, authorities and innovation actors, and you will help ensure that our members benefit from the cluster collaboration,” says Meren.

The workplace is Mjøsbrygga in Brumunddal and the position offers a high degree of freedom and the opportunity to drive forward projects that are important both regionally and nationally.

Application deadline for the position is January 25.

Do you have any questions about the position?

Please contact Chairman of the Board Jan Tore Meren at jt@meren.no or Tel 905 92 622.

The following webinars are currently scheduled:

Tuesday, January 13 8.30-9.30: AI-assisted camera surveillance (Taigatech)

Tuesday, February 10, 8.30-9.30: Using AI for insights in the ERP database

Tuesday, March 10 8.30-9.30: AI for product development and design (Norconsult)

Responsible: Knut Amund Skatvedt, knut.amund.skatvedt@nwcluster.no

You can find the webinars in our event calendar.

I 2025 justerte EU ambisjonsnivået for bærekraftsrapportering ved å utvide fristene og redusere kravene. – Det har gjort at det er enda mer aktuelt for mange bedrifter å lage en enkel bærekraftsrapport basert på den frivillige standarden for SMBer, forkortet VSME (Voluntary reporting standard for SMEs), sier Sanness.

På dagsorden siden 2022

Hun forteller at bærekraftsrapportering har vært på dagsorden i Norwegian Wood Cluster siden 2022. – Det har vært stor delingsvilje på de mange workshopene vi har arrangert, og tilbakemeldingen har vært at dette har vært veldig verdifullt for bedriftene. Klyngen utviklet også en egen veileder for bærekraftsrapportering for skog- og trenæringen, bl.a. for å gi oversikt samt gjøre det enklere for bedriftene å hente fram relevante nøkkeltall, sier Sanness.

– Status er allikevel at få av SMBene i klyngen vår så langt tatt jobben med å lage egen bærekraftsrapport. Situasjonen er den samme blant SMBene i Sverige som er fra sektoren vår, sier Sanness. Nå slår hun et slag for et kurs i enkel bærekraftsrapportering med nettopp SMBer som målgruppe. 

Norsk-svensk kurstilbud

Interregprosjektet «Circular Bioeconomy Arena» har fokus på SMBer og inviterer nå til kurs i enkel bærekraftsrapportering for SMBer. Kurset holdes på Mjøstårnet den 11.-12. mars 2026. Ved å delta på kurset får du:

• En komplett VSME-rapport som oppfyller EUs frivillige bærekraftsstandard
• Trygghet foran fremtidige bærekraftskrav fra kunder og interessenter
• Styrket konkurranseevne ved å møte krav fra større aktører og anbud
• Evne til å møte større bedrifters behov for bærekraftsdata fra leverandør
• Forbedret intern håndtering av bærekraftsspørsmål i egen bedrift
• Tilbud om en mentorsamtale i etterkant av kurset

Kursholderne er rådgiver Ida Marie H. Guldbrandsen og rådgiver Vegard Grønnerud hos Klosser Innovasjon. Begge har industriutdanning og bred erfaring fra ulike virksomheter, blant annet innenfor feltet bærekraft. De vil bistå både under gjennomføringen av selve kurset og som mentorer i etterkant.

With interdisciplinary expertise from architecture, civil engineering and construction, the start-up fits very well into the Norwegian Wood Cluster. Heimvaag AS is located in Ullensaker.

Nytt byggeprodukt basert på returtre

Det nyetablerte selskapet har en helhetlig forståelse av prosessene som knytter idé, design og byggbarhet sammen, og bruker arkitektur som en helhetlig tilnærming for å forvalte våre omgivelser og ressurser på en ansvarlig måte. Heimvaag AS har utviklet et byggeprodukt som kan utnytte urasjonelt trevirke og returtre, og løsningen er nå godt på vei i patenteringsprosessen med gode tilbakemeldinger.

Nå sikter bedriften på å bidra inn i konkrete innovasjonsprosjekter, som støtter klyngens mål om økt ressursutnyttelse og bærekraft.

– Vi ser store synergier mellom vår produktutvikling og klyngens fokus på teknologi, kompetanse og samarbeid. Derfor kommer vi å være en aktiv deltaker i erfaringsutveksling, utviklingsprosjekter og faglige fora som fremmer verdiskaping i treindustrien, sier Espen Heimdal. Han mener deltakelse i Norwegian Wood Cluster vil gi verdifulle nettverksmuligheter og tilgang til kompetanse på tvers av fagområder, fra råvareproduksjon til ferdige bygg.

– Nylig deltok jeg på klyngens workshop på Mjøstårnet for å identifisere nye sirkulære piloter basert på økt utnyttelse av trevirke som ressurs. En veldig interessant dag hvor hele verdikjeden var representert, der jeg nettopp erfarte nytten av klyngen som koplingsboks og kompetansebygger, sier Espen Heimdal, som mener mange av utfordringer som må løses, krever samarbeid.

– Større valgmuligheter innenfor byggeprodukter av returtre er kun en del av den større omstillingen for hele verdikjeden, og det er nettopp her Norwegian Wood Cluster er posisjonert for solide fremskritt, sier Heimdal.

Spennende oppstartsbedrift

Klyngeleder Berit Sanness ønsker Heimvaag velkommen som nytt medlem i Norwegian Wood Cluster.

– Det er kjærkomment å få inn en oppstartsbedrift som bringer nye ideer og løsninger inn i verdikjeden vår. Vi ser derfor fram til å bli bedre kjent med Heimvaag, sier Sanness.

Formelt er det styret i Norwegian Wood Cluster SA som behandler søknad om medlemskap i klyngen. Heimvaag AS ble tatt opp som medlem den 4. november 2025.

The new offer is session-based, and the physical sessions are held at Gjøvik. The aim of the training is to provide participants with the necessary skills to pass the theory exam in the subjects PRT3103 (production technology) and LOG3103 (logistics) in the fall of 2026, and later take the professional exam.

Who can participate?

To apply, you must have:

• Minimum 1 year of relevant experience
• Documented primary school and valid residence permit
• Apply for upper secondary education / prior learning assessment via www.vigo.no

For the logistics profession, you must also pass safety training for forklift classes T1, T2 and T4.

Teaching method and plan

The training is session-based with physical meetings and some digital sessions. The sessions are mainly conducted Fridays 09-14 . The first session on January 9 will focus on HSE. This will be followed by topics such as production planning, process management, quality, maintenance, hydraulics, pneumatics and electronics. In the fall of 2026, the focus will be on exam preparation. In the autumn semester, it is possible to participate in some elective courses in timber organized by the Norwegian Institute of Wood Technology.

The teacher is Jørn Thore Morønning, who has extensive experience from transport, logistics and the wood industry.

This is a unique opportunity for employees in the wood industry to strengthen their skills and secure a trade certificate – an investment in both their own career and the company’s future.

Contact persons:

NWC: Knut Amund Skatvedt, knut.amund.skatvedt@treteknisk.no

Career Innlandet Gjøvik: Servicetorg tlf. 91007631, e-mail ki.gjovik@innlandetfylke.no

Great conditions in Sälen

The Vasaloppet, which is the largest ski race in the Nordic region, starts right outside the sawmill gate at Fiskarheden. There are also great conditions inside the fence, where 850,000 m3 of timber is processed annually – with North Africa as the most important market. The sawmill is a cornerstone business in the municipality, and Martin Eriksson was able to talk enthusiastically about its unique corporate culture and important contribution as a community builder.

Unexpected effect of CT scan

The company installed the Microtec CT log system in 2018. They made careful calculations ahead of the investment, and have experienced major improvements in quality and yield because the sorting by diameter and log shape provides a very efficient utilization of the raw material.

During NWC’s visit, MiCROTEC’s 3D frame was still intact in the timber sorting system. However, this will only be used if the CT scanner is out of operation for a long period of time. Incidentally, we found that accuracy and “order and tidiness” characterized the entire business – Fiskarheden appeared to be a unique business for the woodworking industry.

The study trip to Fiskarheden is part of the “TRE-Automation” project, which Norwegian Wood has carried out with support from Innovation Norway. The project ends in 2025.

More to learn?

NWC will follow up the visit with a webinar on December 9, where the theme is the use of AI for sorting, with presentations from MiCROTEC and Iteria. Read more and sign up here.

Throughout the winter we will present several topics in the course series NWC Insights. These onlineonline courses will be free for members and will have a low threshold but high practical relevance.

Want more standardization

Magnus Sparrevik is head of sustainability at the Norwegian Defense Estates Agency, and we invited him to this year’s top management gathering to talk about sustainability and material use. In the coming decade, the Norwegian Armed Forces plan to invest NOK 114.1 billion in building and construction. In addition, they have a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from material use, which should provide good opportunities for our industry.

Sparrevik mentioned, among other things, that Forsvarsbygg is very keen to look at standardized solutions for its category buildings, both buildings for education, accommodation and other facilities. In addition, there is a focus on circular solutions, better resource utilization and flexible buildings, which may be worth noting for market players.

Great potential for extensions in height

British Kelly Harrison is sustainability manager at architectural firm WhitbyWood and is working on a Dutch Pan European project called “Optoppen”. Through the project, they’ve developed an app that shows the potential for adding wooden structures to the height of existing buildings.

The app is aimed at planning authorities and urban developers, to calculate how extensions can solve development needs without taking up more land. By inputting existing buildings and defining how many storeys you want, the app will tell you what’s possible and compares the potential of timber structures versus steel or concrete decks(www.optoppen.org). “This has become a verb now, people are ‘topping up’. It almost became a movement, not just an app and a project,” said Harrison.

Reinert Hersleth is CEO of Hersleth AS, which builds commercial buildings, sports halls and residential buildings. The company has started its own element production to make the construction process more industrialized and efficient, and has good solutions for high-rise extensions. But there are other challenges that need to be solved for building at height – regulatory and financial. That’s why Hersleth has invited industry organizations, authorities and the Norwegian State Housing Bank to collaborate.

– 130,000 new homes are to be built and politicians will not be able to do this alone. “We have many apartment blocks from the post-war period that need upgrading. Here you can build on one floor, the condominium sells the roof and uses the profit for rehabilitation, energy efficiency and installation of elevators, which will also contribute to the ageing wave by allowing existing residents to live at home longer,” explained Hersleth.

A future with wooden buildings

Jørgen Tycho from the architectural firm Oslotre is known as a keen ambassador for nature-based materials and circular solutions. “The average Scandinavian lives 90% indoors, surrounded by synthetic and artificial materials. Asthma and allergies have increased twenty-fold and we find far more environmental toxins in human blood now than before. We are as far away from nature as it is possible to get, and we need to change that by thinking regeneratively,” said Tycho.

This was supported by partners Thomas Thorsnes and Francisco Kocourek of R21 arkitekter, who have ambitions to create architecture of a quality that allows things to be preserved and passed on. Among other things, R21 has developed a prototype of cabins called “Tre på rad” (Three in a row) with laminated lath logs, a modern construction method based on long building traditions. This is a cabin concept developed with the ambition of combining architectural quality, flexibility and sustainability in a compact format. The building system can be mirrored and rotated so that the cabin can be adapted to different plots and orientations – regardless of sun, view, access or terrain.

– We use a lot of wooden elements in facades, which often stand up to price competition with other materials. We use prefabricated wall elements in wood or precut in almost all projects. Suppliers show great flexibility, but we need to challenge each other so that production, quality, durability and visual expression are combined,” said Thorsnes.

R21 was asked how interior surfaces withstand hard use, and Thorsnes commented: “I think it’s easier to live with nicks in wood than in plaster. Wood gets a nice patina when it’s used. Tycho supplemented with comments from school caretakers who report less vandalism and maintenance costs. He added that the wooden floor at Gardermoen has only been sanded once in 30 years….

R&D center with biomechanical lab in Skjerven biopark

Finally, Arne Jebsen, CEO of Hunton, gave an update on the development of Skjerven Biopark in Gjøvik. In addition to focusing on green industrial and commercial establishments, a separate R&D center with a woodworking lab is being developed centrally in the park. It will act as a resource center for the companies that establish themselves in the biopark, but also offer research activities and facilities for other businesses in the forest and bio industries.

Hunton is the developer of the R&D center, which is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Julie Gedde-Dahl is head of the cluster’s specialist group “Future building solutions”. The group has long wanted to take a closer look at documentation and requirements related to fire resistance in wooden buildings, and now the preparations are underway in earnest.

Useful theme meeting

– “We had a very useful meeting in the specialist group at Mjøstårnet recently. We got a review of current issues and challenges with Norwegian regulations and standards for fire resistance that are relevant to take a closer look at. In addition, three companies shared their experiences with testing and documentation needs, and we had good reflections in groups,” says Julie Gedde-Dahl. She says that the Norwegian Wood Cluster will continue to work on the topic based on the input received at the meeting.

Specialist expertise in place

– We are fortunate to have Leif Tore Isaksen with us in this work, who is the head of fire and safety at Sweco Norway. He is also the head of RIF’s expert group on fire. In other words, Leif Tore is a very strong professional resource in the area, and he will play a key role in the development of the project,” says Gedde-Dahl.

Opportunities and challenges

– There is a great need for documentation for tall wooden buildings. The regulations are function-based and for buildings over 4 storeys, documentation is required in each individual case to show that the building can maintain satisfactory load-bearing capacity and stability throughout a complete fire cycle. “As there are more and more tests that can be used to verify fire safety with the use of wooden structures, the question is whether it is possible to prepare preaccepted solutions for buildings up to and including six storeys,” says Leif Tore Isaksen, Sweco Norway.

– Several of our member companies have already indicated that they want to participate in the further planning of such a project. Going forward, the cluster will lead the process of developing the project plan and maintaining a dialog with relevant stakeholders. We expect that it is possible to set up a useful project in this area to meet the wishes of member companies in the cluster,” says project manager Julie Gedde-Dahl in Norwegian Wood Cluster.