New school brings together more facilities

Høje Taastrup Børne- og Kulturhus combines school, daycare and leisure activities under one roof. Troldtekt has been chosen for ceilings and selected walls to ensure good acoustics in the many different areas of the school.

In January 2023, the newly built Høje Taastrup Børne- og Kulturhus opened the door to a new type of school. The building covers 9,500 square metres and houses a crèche, kindergarten, after-school club and school up to Year 6 as well as the municipal music school, visual arts school and drama school.

Christensen & Co. Arkitekter and Kjaer & Richter Architects joined forces to design this children’s and cultural centre.

“This is the first time in Denmark that daycare, school, after-school club and cultural activities have been brought together under one roof. The centre will be a social hub for the local community and a meeting place for a wide range of daily users,” says Mikkel Sørensen, architect and partner at Christensen & Co. Arkitekter.

Cluster architecture

The building is designed to accommodate many different users and types of activities at different times of the day. It consists of two sports halls, a motor skills development hall, two visual arts rooms, six music rooms and audiovisual rooms, in addition to the many classrooms and childcare institutions.

“Naturally, children and young people are the core users of the children’s and cultural centre, and our architectural focus has been on creating a sense of ownership and belonging for this user group. One way we have done this is by breaking down the scale of the building into smaller units to promote a sense of security and overview,” Mikkel Sørensen says.

The school is constructed as four ‘cultural clusters’ – music, technology, creativity and movement – each with its own visual character. At its heart is a ‘cultural square’ with a central staircase.

Soft and hard materials

The interiors and exteriors of Høje Taastrup Børne- og Kulturhus are based on the same types of materials – brick, concrete, wood and glass. A light and airy feel extends indoors, with plenty of daylight, drawing attention to the distinctive designs of the clusters.

The neutral walls are an airy light grey, which tones down the light slightly for better visual comfort. The linoleum floors are in toned-down pastel colours to counterbalance the more raw concrete and steel surfaces. At the same time, colour changes in the floor covering help with wayfinding and indicate zone boundaries,” Mikkel explains. He adds:

“The warm shades of natural surfaces such as wood form a calm, harmonious facade that patinates beautifully and can withstand the wear and tear that an educational institution is exposed to,” Mikkel says.

Troldtekt ensures good acoustics

Several variants of Troldtekt acoustic solutions have been chosen for the ceilings to contribute to a healthy indoor climate with pleasant acoustics. Troldtekt in natural wood is used around the general areas of the school and in the sports halls, grey Troldtekt acoustic panels have been installed as a wall solution.

“Quite apart from its superb acoustic properties, Troldtekt creates a naturally warm look that complements the other surfaces harmoniously and coherently. The result is a calm overall impression in the rooms,” architect and partner at Christensen &Co Arkitekter Mikkel Sørensen concludes.