In the small rural town of Rønde, located in the heart of Denmark, lies a school that is totally redefining the standards for sustainable construction. Though small in scale, this 2,700 ft² school extension is radiating with the potential that arises when accountability is embraced as a catalyst for design and an uncompromising material strategy is adopted.
Embodying immense potential without compromising on function, atmosphere and architectural expression, the school extension is built almost entirely of bio-based materials, viable alternatives to concrete, brick and steel, and crucially, materials that sequester rather than emit CO2, are totally free of toxic chemicals, fire-safe, and offer both efficient insulation and a great indoor climate.
With support from the Danish philanthropic organization, Realdania, and in partnership with EcoCocon, the final design solution is a structure made of a pioneering panel system of compressed straw, a roof made solely of timber, and a ventilation system made of eelgrass - a common seaweed along seashores in the majority of the Northern Hemisphere.
The design team created a framework for sustainable design that doesn’t exceed planetary boundaries, comprising five ambitious principles: incorporate sustainably sourced, renewable, bio-based materials to sequester carbon; use already produced local materials to save resources and energy; employ materials that are free of toxic chemicals, minimizing off-gassing and ensuring clean production and processing procedures; lower operational energy consumption by ensuring a healthy indoor climate, fostering an environment that balances daylight with passive ventilation; design for disassembly, enabling the reuse of building components in the future.
The project is motivated by high ambitions to surpass sustainability standards, demonstrating to the many students maturing within its walls that they are an unquestionable priority and therefore, so is the planet that they are to inherit. Feldballe School is an educational environment that truly leads by example, providing an honest and healthy space for hundreds of children to develop, learn, and play in.
View Original