The firm of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, BIG, recently completed a 15,069-sf high school expansion just north of Copenhagen—Ingels’ alma mater.
Composed of two stories, the cultural activities building sprang up between Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium's football field and a recently complete multipurpose hall, which was also designed by BIG. The new arts building connects with the school’s existing educational facilities in one continuous flow.
“My high school, formerly introverted and dispersed, has become open and integrated through two focused interventions,” Ingels said in a release. “Even though each phase is autonomous and complete, their introduction into the mix has completely reconfigured the sum of the parts. Like a catalyst or an enzyme, once inserted, all the surrounding substance transforms into something completely new.”
From the architect:
The roof of the new arts building extends the school’s existing football fields into a green carpet for informal activity, serving as informal seating overlooking sports events. Image by Rasmus Hjotshoj
Construction materials and finishes familiar from the multipurpose hall are integrated in reverse. Where the sports hall is made of concrete with wooden finishes above and below ground, the classrooms are the opposite: wooden walls span the length of the building, complimented by concrete ceilings and floors. This continuity and repetition of materials creates a coherent visual identity for the school. Photo: Jens Lindhe
Image: Iwan Baan
Image: Rasmus Hjortshoj
Image: Rasmus Hjortshoj
Image: Jens Lindhe
Related Stories
| Jul 29, 2013
2013 Giants 300 Report
The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.
| Jul 22, 2013
School officials and parents are asking one question: Can design prevent another Sandy Hook? [2013 Giants 300 Report]
The second deadliest mass shooting by a single person in U.S. history galvanizes school officials, parents, public officials, and police departments, as they scrambled to figure out how to prevent a similar incident in their communities.
| Jul 22, 2013
Top K-12 School Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, Turner top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest K-12 school sector contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 22, 2013
Top K-12 School Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, URS, STV top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest K-12 school sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 22, 2013
Top K-12 School Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
DLR, SHW top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest K-12 school sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, DPR, Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 19, 2013
Best in brick: 7 stunning building façades made with brick [slideshow]
The Brick Industry Association named the winners of its 2013 Brick in Architecture Awards. Here are seven winning projects that caught our eye.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jul 1, 2013
Report: Global construction market to reach $15 trillion by 2025
A new report released today forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to $15 trillion worldwide by 2025.