- Henning
- Larsen
The school has great variety of flexible spaces - inside and out – that will become a tool for new ways of learning and working - a new landmark on Lolland-Falster.
The project set out with ambitious goals for not only sustainability parameters, but its potential for local learning and community engagement. The school is designed to meet the UN World Language School requirements for teaching facilities that support the UN Sustainable Development goals through both physical design and teaching curriculum.
Sundby School also has no fences or barriers keeping the kids in. The circular shape of the school creates a protective space in the middle where children can play, but they are free to explore the surrounding landscape.
Located on the edge of town, the design takes advantage of the school's proximity to nature and aims to bring the outdoors in. Children can have learning experiences that contribute to their creative development and are not a usual part of the schedule in primary school. The building looks as if pushed up from the ground with a roof that forms a hill, a lookout point, which offers a wide view of the landscape facilitating public access at all hours.
Thus, the circular roof creates a slope that you can walk upon to see the sun set or go sledging at winter. The school becomes a part of the landscape and is a generator for adventures that can be used by everyone in the community.
Sundby School has been designed with a clear vision to create a school that will be able to strengthen and build a bridge between the local community, sports and cultural life as well as create space for valuable teaching and form the optimal framework for the school’s employees. The new school will have additional functions such as a library, café, sports and music facilities that are centrally located and outward facing and invite the local community inside, also after school hours.
The primary school will be the first in Denmark to be awarded the Nordic Ecolabel, the region’s official sustainability certification based on a range of parameters for energy consumption, indoor climate, chemical exposure, and sustainable material use. When the school opens in 2023, it will accommodate approximately 580 students up to grade 9 and is eagerly anticipated in the Sundby community.
Currently under construction, Sundby School features a modern thatched facade made entirely of reeds - a bio-based material that is both renewable and biodegradable.
The school's facade is, contrary to popular belief, extremely fire-resistant and underwent multiple fire tests and sequential analyses approved by DBI, The Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology.
Thatcher on site installing the facade of Sundby School.