More projects from the Nordic region

In Hammerö, just outside Karlstad, residents have been given a new wooden preschool with playful elements. Sweco’s architects and landscape architects have designed Bårstad Preschool for the Hammerö municipality. The school is built around an atrium courtyard, which serves as a shared outdoor space. There is a focus on designing good outdoor environments and the school itself in a way that promotes children’s creativity in different ways.

One of the school’s goals is to bring nature into the pedagogy. This is reflected in the building’s design, where wood is the dominant material used for both interior and exterior surfaces, as well as walls and floors. Large windows with low sills provide a good view of the adjacent forest, creating a connection between the surrounding nature and the school.

The renovation and expansion of Duveds School in Sweden, designed by Sweco Architects, increase the capacity by 350 students, allowing the school to accommodate 800 students in the future.

The school is constructed with cross-laminated timber and has a timber facade that is treated for heat and fire protection. A larger artwork is planned for the outdoor environment, inviting movement and providing year-round meeting spaces.

The school serves as a catalyst and signals a new era for the area, with a focus on sustainability, citizen participation, and a well-built environment with good architecture.

In Aarhus, Sweco is involved in a remarkable timber building that, with its five floors, will become the tallest residential timber building in Aarhus. Knudrisrækkerne is located on Knudrisgade in the city center and will accommodate 89 unique public housing units, built with a hybrid construction and great material creativity.

To reduce the CO2 footprint, the building will be constructed using a combination of recycled elements from the old building on the site, timber in the load-bearing structures, laminated timber for columns and floors, and timber panels and recycled aluminum plates on the facades.

Østre and Vestre Søbad are two bathing facilities located at Almindsø in Silkeborg. The old beach baths have been upgraded with circular bathing bridges constructed of wood from the forests of Silkeborg, taking into consideration the local wildlife and plant life.

The beach baths were developed in collaboration with the Danish Nature Agency, which assessed the building’s impact on the environment. The bridges weave between the trees on the shore, with some trees incorporated into the actual construction, extending through the roof. The building rests on pillars placed to accommodate the roots of the trees.

By using local timber, the building has been able to reduce its carbon footprint while naturally blending into the surroundings. Over time, the timber bridges will weather to gray tones, further harmonizing with the environment.

The new environmentally friendly school in Laukaa is designed with the idea of a school for 100 students for 100 years. The timber school brings together children from three villages in the area, creating a new sense of community and gathering place.

The building is constructed with solid wood using cross-laminated timber technology, based on a model that allows for flexibility in meeting different needs and future adaptations.

Sweco has been involved in both the design and the construction of the project. The eco-school concept is an innovative masterpiece that combines a healthy and long-lasting timber building, sustainably produced energy, and modern spatial solutions that meet current educational requirements. It is the most ecological school building in Finland.