Dansk Mindretalscenter

Learning in Nature

Our design for the Dansk Mindretalscenter School draws inspiration from the area’s historical and architectural heritage. The influence of traditional half-timbered farms is reflected in the materials and proportions, creating a strong local connection and cultural identity.

The school design provides a boundless community, promoting inclusion, collaboration, and cohesion between users and functions while fostering curiosity and honesty in learning and play. The project focuses on creating an inviting learning environment that meets both current and future needs. With spaces for daycare, school, and sports facilities, the architecture forms a cohesive setting for a wide range of activities accommodating children and adults of all ages. The three functions—daycare, school, and sports hall—are arranged in sequence around an inner courtyard.

Outdoor Areas as Part of Learning

The outdoor spaces are designed to encourage play and learning in nature. Pergolas connect the buildings, creating covered walkways that protect against the weather and serve as spaces for outdoor play and learning. The outdoor areas include zones with grass fields, playgrounds, and quiet areas, giving children the opportunity to explore and interact with their surroundings. This fosters an environment where children can learn through play and physical activity.

Flexible and Community-Oriented Spaces

The building interiors are designed to be flexible and accommodate a wide range of needs. Learning spaces are created with adaptability in mind, allowing for easy adjustments to support various group sizes, individual focus, and activities. This flexibility enables the use of different teaching methods, making the learning environment suitable for children of all ages and abilities. The atrium serves as a learning center with areas for both focus and collaboration, while group rooms, motor skills rooms, and dining spaces support a daily rhythm of diverse activities and learning forms. The sports hall is located near the main entrance, ensuring easy access for both schoolchildren and the local community.

Focus on Future Needs

The construction is designed with deep respect for the environment and a clear ambition to minimize its carbon footprint through design and choice of materials. Wood has been chosen as the primary material for both construction and interior elements, not only for its low CO2 impact and contribution to reducing the building’s overall footprint but also for its ability to create a natural, warm, and welcoming atmosphere. The tactile qualities and aesthetics of wood enhance sensory experiences, fostering a sense of presence and harmony with the surroundings. Additionally, wood offers excellent acoustic properties, and helps regulate humidity and temperature, further contributing to a healthy and pleasant environment for users.

Wooden surfaces are a recurring architectural feature indoors, where the interior of exterior walls and lightweight partitions are clad with perforated plywood panels, allowing the insulation to double as an acoustic element. The ambition has been to avoid painted finishes, plastered surfaces, and glued solutions. This approach ensures the buildings have visible joints, screws, and bolts, making them easy to dismantle and recycle in the future.

If the Dansk Mindretalscenter’s needs and practices evolve, the choice of materials and structural design will provide significant freedom for future adaptations. Similarly, any future expansions can be seamlessly integrated as natural extensions of the existing structure.

Area: 6 182 m2 / 66 542 m2
Location: Sydselsvig, Denmark
Images: Christensen & Co