With its 850 pupils and 150 employees, the Primary school in Flotum is the largest primary school in the Faroe Islands.
The project was initiated by Árni Winther Arkitektar, ZETA Arkitektar and BRIM Arkitektar in 2015, who won the architectural competition issued by Torshavn municipality. Árni Winther Arkitektar and SNA merged in 2017.
The architecture originates from the Faroese nature, identity, and diversity. The inspiration is from geology, where the strongest rocks stand firm when everything around them is eroded. The school is composed of seven "islands", connected by a large hall area. Just as the sea is the link between the Faroese Islands, joint activities create a lively connection between the departments. The building's tight exterior brings the school together as a whole, while the warm and organic interior provides space for the various functions and age levels.
The building is an attempt to make the architecture and pedagogy go hand in hand. The spatial experiences in the building are diverse and alternate between open areas, rooms with varying ceiling heights, small niches, and narrow passages. The possibilities for rethinking the teaching are obvious, simultaneously the teaching rooms are traditional and accommodate classes of up to 24 pupils. To stimulate curiosity and creativity, the creative professional rooms are located so that you can look inside from the hall area.
To achieve the beautiful view, the building lifts up from the terrain. From the outdoor areas you can walk directly up to the roof, where a footpath with living terraces leads up to the school's highest point. The view from the roof is magnificent and invites both pupils and residents of the area up for a view beyond the horizon. Surrounding the school is a 500 m long running track, ball fields, playgrounds, and rock plots. The teaching can easily be moved outside to the natural scenic area, where e.g. sports, biology, or physics can be taught, and to which smaller so-called "knowledge stations" contribute.
Collaboration credits: Brim Arkitektar, Zeta Architects, LBF og SMJ.
Photos: Finnur Justinussen.
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