STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
Ministry of Culture [Mentamálaráðið] | Landsverk
TYPOLOGY
Education
SIZE M2/FT2
19,200 / 206,669
SHARE
Located on the undulating fjords of Faroe Islands – with views to the capital Tórshavn, the sea, and verdant fells – Glasir harvests the efficiencies of combining Faroe Islands Gymnasium, Tórshavn Technical College, and the Business College of Faroe Islands into one building for over 1,750 students, teachers and staff.
Organized like a vortex, with each level opening up and the top levels radiating 30 m out towards the hilly landscape, BIG’s design for Glasir retains the autonomy and individual identity for each of the three schools while creating ideal conditions for collaboration and learning to flourish – an incubator for innovation rather than a traditional school setting.
The Faroe Islands are a North Atlantic archipelago and island country that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, with less than 50,000 inhabitants. Combining three individual institutions to increase the quality of education, generate synergies, and harvest efficiencies makes Glasir the largest building on the island.
The school is conceived as a pedagogical diagram turned into a building, shaped by the considerations to the functional needs rather than external limitations.
A stack of five individual buildings wrap around a central public space: three buildings for each of the three specialties, one for food and faculty, and one for physical exercise and gatherings.
The main entrance of the school is accessible from a dramatic bridge due to the steep slope of the site. Students and teachers are immediately welcomed by the large circular courtyard which creates a natural gathering point across all floor levels and academic interests.
Shaped by the needs of the students and teachers, Glasir is conceived as a stack of five individual levels that wrap around a central courtyard: one for each of the three institutions, one for food and faculty, and one for physical exercise and gatherings.
The 32 m diameter indoor courtyard with terraced steps provide generous, flexible spaces for group meetings, social events and dining, as well as auditorium seating for larger events or announcements.
Above, gigantic transparent skylights shelter the space from the wind and weather of the harsh Faroese climate while allowing abundant daylight into the atrium. The inner façades between the classrooms and courtyard are realized in colored glass, providing an intuitive overview of the different functions within the building.
Cascading across several levels, the stepped topography merges the multistory building into a single entity.
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The interior material selection of stone, cast concrete, and wood with different surface treatments form a natural canvas, while the exterior choice of glass and aluminum creates a neutral background to the school’s sculptural design.
At the top levels, the high school and business school cantilever towards the mountain-range and moorland landscapes, creating a building that opens towards the city in all directions. The outer backdrop to the stunning Faroese landscape surrounding the education center is always visible, from the courtyard and classrooms to the gymnasium and library.
Seen from outside, the exterior glass façades are mounted in a sawtooth shingle that allows the straight elements to form a soft circular shape and blend into the natural surroundings.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
PLAN LEVEL 1
PLAN LEVEL 2
PLAN LEVEL 3
PLAN LEVEL 4
PLAN LEVEL 5
Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Ole Elkjær-Larsen Jesper Boye Andersen Ji-Young Yoon Annette Jensen Armen Menendian Athena Morella Boris Peianov Dag Præstegaard Enea Michelesio Frederik Lyng Jan Magasanik Kim Christensen Kristoffer Negendahl Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard Nanna Gyldholm Møller Norbert Nadudvari Richard Howis Sofia Sofianou Tiago Sá Tobias Hjortdal Tommy Bjørnstrup Tore Banke Høgni Laksafoss Alberte Danvig Alejandro Mata Gonzales Alessio Valmori Alexandre Carpentier Baptiste Blot Camila Luise de Andrade Stadler Camille Crepin Christian Alvarez Claudio Moretti Daniel Pihl Dennis Rasmussen Edouard Boisse Elisha Nathoo Esben Christoffersen Ewelina Moszczynska Gaetan Brunet Goda Luksaite Greta Krenciute Henrik Kania Jan Besikov Jan Kudlicka Jeppe Ecklon Johan Cool Kari-Ann Petersen Katerina Joannides Krista Meskanen Laura Youf Long Zuo Martin Cajade Michael Schønemann Jensen Nicklas Antoni Rasch Oana Simionescu Paolo Venturella Rune Hansen Sabine Kokina Simonas Petrakas Takumi Iwasawa Victor Bejenaru Xiao Xuan Lu Esklid Nordbud Jakob Teglgård Hansen
AWARDS
SCUP/AIA-CAE Excellence in Architecture for a New Building, Honors, 2019
World Architecture Festival, Best Education Category Finalist, 2019
COLLABORATORS
Fuglark
Lemming & Eriksson
Rosan Bosch
Sámal Johannesen
Martin E. Leo SP/F
KJ Elrád
