Architects remake interim space at schools
13.05.2014
There is an enormous need for extra temporary space at schools. Many school buildings in Finland are targets for renovation, and indoor air problems have also become common. However, schoolchildren continue to need high-quality and contemporary learning environs.
A group of architectural students leapt at the challenge and embarked on designing transferable schools. Together with the City of Espoo, the actual results of the course as realised can be enjoyed by the schoolchildren themselves.
‘Often the most convenient solution for interim space is to erect a so-called “school hut” in the already existent schoolyard, so that the pupils' trips to school don't change, and going to school can continue in a familiar milieu without interruption during the repairs going on in the regular school building,’ Pirjo Sanaksenaho, Professor of Building Design, says in explaining the background.
School huts have indeed already been implemented throughout Finland, but the design of transferable school buildings has, up to this point, hardly been given any appreciable attention. During the Public Building Studio course, facilities to encourage new learning were particularly examined.
‘Teaching methods these days are interactive, and flexibility as well as various possibilities for furnishings are required by instruction facilities. This must also be taken into account in designing and realising schools,’ Professor Sanaksenaho emphasises.
Espoo’s building design division is able to incorporate the works created by students during the architectural course. The students have designed the modular secondary school in the schoolyard of the Viherlaakso school in Espoo, and the same elements have been planned for another, slightly smaller school for primary education use next to Kirsti School in Suvela.
As the final result, 13 alternative designs were born for a modular, transferable school. Five individual designs for transferable schools are currently featured at the Schulbau Fair in Hamburg, Germany (13–14 May). On display are the works of Niko Cederlöf, Leo Lindroos, Maija Parviainen, Antti Soini and Kia Taegen. It is also possible to get acquainted with the school designs conceived by the architectural students at Germany's Hafen City University.
The Public Building Studio course has been realized together with the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at Aalto University’s School of Engineering. Various perspectives to the design work have also been introduced by the variety of cultural backgrounds amongst the students. Students from four countries have participated in the course. In addition to Aalto University professors and teachers, specialists have been involved from the City of Espoo and the University of Helsinki.
For further information, contact:
Professor Pirjo Sanaksenaho, tel. +358 50 5714900, pirjo.sanaksenaho [at] aalto [dot] fi
The website and programme for the fair can be found here: http://www.schulbau-messe.de/de/