Year

2019

The town of Sarpsborg, which has developed into an industrial centre, is the third oldest town in Norway. It has a very rich cultural heritage. Sarpsborg’s beautiful neo-Gothic church was rebuilt in 1862 and renovated several times over the years, but is still at the heart of the town’s tradition.

Numerous renovations …

After a fire in 1861, the church was rebuilt on the remains of the walls and consecrated in 1863. In the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, the church was renovated several times without losing its architectural character. The elongated church of typical red brick has a tower in the west, a five-sided choir in the east and a relatively low and wide nave. Its roof was covered with grey slate for a long time. In 1900, the vestry was enlarged and in 1958, several more interior alterations were made. The church is most notable for its various stained glass windows, which were created between 1918 and 1958.
Despite these various developments and renovations, the church itself has always retained its original, beautiful architectural appearance.

Without losing its original architectural character

In early 2019, the roof of the neo-Gothic church was renovated with SunStyle solar roof tiles. Once again, the architectural aesthetics have been preserved, but the church now benefits from the best solar technology to generate clean energy. This conversion makes this historic building a wonderful symbol of the combination of tradition and innovation. And this time, too, BIPV technology was used in a way that preserved the building’s original architectural character. The SunStyle low-profile solar roof tiles allow the city of Sarpsborg to gain solar energy while preserving the historic architecture of its buildings. The church illustrates the potential of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products to facilitate ecological renovations even in places whose historical heritage is protected.

Discover another Norwegian church that is roofed with solar tiles.