Project Description
FROM BIG:
Following the completion of the Gammel Hellerup
High School multi-purpose hall designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group in
2013, a new 1,400-square-meter building for cultural activities has been inaugurated by
the school’s art and sports enthusiasts.
The new two-level addition to Gammel Hellerup
High School just north of Copenhagen provides existing students with generous
spaces for social and creative learning, while increasing the capacity of the
school in response to its growing popularity. The construction started just as
the multi-purpose hall was completed, inviting student life inside in November
2014.
"We are all incredibly excited to finalize the
last phase of the expansion with a complex that not only provides the necessary
space and facilities for our students, but also with abundant opportunities for
outdoor adventures. We could not have hoped for a better addition to Gammel
Hellerup High School," said Jorgen Rasmussen, principal of Gammel
Hellerup High School.
Located between the school’s multi-purpose hall
and adjacent football fields, the new arts building connects the sports areas
with the gymnasium’s existing educational facilities in one continuous flow. By
placing parts of the new building beneath the football fields, the students are
able to walk through the sunken sports hall at the center of the school´s
courtyard, to the classrooms, cafeteria, and out to the main entrance at street
level.
“My high-school, formerly introverted and
dispersed, has become open and integrated through two focused interventions.
Even though each phase is autonomous and complete – their introduction in to
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,” said Bjarke Ingels, founding partner of BIG.
The roof of the new arts building, extend the
school’s existing football fields into a green carpet for informal activity,
serving as informal seating overlooking sports events.
Construction materials and finishes familiar from
the multi-purpose 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.