Christiansfeld School

  • Architect

    Kjaer & Richter - a part of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects

  • Client

    Kolding Municipality

  • Collaborators

    Hoffmann, Alectia ingeniører, GBL Landskab

  • Location

    Gl. Kongevej 3, DK-6070 Christiansfeld

  • Area

    13,000 m2

  • Status

    Completed in 2013

  • Award

    Kolding Municipality Building Award

  • Competition

    1st Prize

Playful & creative extension

This project is designed by Kjaer & Richter - a part of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects.

The project for Christiansfeld School is based on the merger of two school sections and the town's public library. This programmatic foundation opens up entirely new opportunities to implement the school's values ​​in a unified entity with a strong community. The construction includes a 2-track primary school with a 3-track secondary level and integrated after-school facilities for grades 0-3.

The school includes a youth school, special center, and public library. Christiansfeld School accommodates 600 students, staff, the youth school, and the public library and, by its volume, acts as a generator for leisure activities in the surrounding area. The school's public functions invite the local community and associations inside. The main idea for the school is that the new architectural interventions contribute to upgrading the school energetically while also giving the school a pedagogical and architectural uplift. The existing classic three-winged school building is 'lined' with a new organically shaped extension, creating a light and playful expression towards the schoolyard.

The characteristic louvered yellow facade has clear references to the historical timber-clad gables, which are a consistent architectural feature in the town. The connection between new and existing is marked by a continuous skylight and new open staircase connections that tie the school's floors together. The school's learning environments are designed with inspiring and flexible frameworks that support the school's pedagogical vision of each student developing self-esteem, cognition, imagination, and a desire to learn. The public library and educational learning center form a new central gathering place with easy access to well-defined departmental areas for lower, middle, upper grades, and special classes. Flexibility is incorporated by merging related functions so that the school can accommodate varied functional patterns in both the short and long term. Base rooms are located in both existing and new buildings, providing rooms of varying sizes and layouts. New changing rooms and staircase connections from the 1st floor to the courtyard have been established, which is equipped with a range of covered seating areas and workshop facilities, contributing to profiling the school with a green outdoor life and learning environment.

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