A modern school on old ground

Managers and staff were given the opportunity to influence the project to reimagine Djurängsskolan, a school located in a scenic area north of Kalmar, Sweden. The result is a school with sustainable materials, bright colours and superior acoustics.

After three-and-a-half years in exile at a nearby school, pupils and teachers have returned to their own school – or rather a brand-new version of it. The old Djurängsskolan school north of Kalmar city centre has been demolished and a new school has been built from the ground up. Designed by Tengbom Arkitekter in Kalmar, the architecture of the new school is modern with large, open spaces and surfaces.

Natural materials and bright colours
Djurängsskolan has a vision – to offer a safe and modern learning environment for its pupils. A learning environment designed to cater for children’s learning, their physical activity and their overall well-being. Therefore, both management and teachers have had a huge influence on the architecture of the new school building.

The school’s architecture consists of three asymmetric wings encircling a large schoolyard. Here, a number of different play and activity areas have been established, which are designed to challenge and stimulate the children’s motor skills through play and movement.

The school has been built from environmentally classified building materials – including Troldtekt acoustic panels. The exterior walls are grey brick, while the window frames are signal yellow. The distinctive colour is echoed in the interior, where columns, handrails and railings are the same shade of yellow. All the classrooms have their own colour, and in the hallways locker walls with blue, red, yellow, orange or green doors are used to define the different zones. Wood has been chosen as wall cladding in most corridors and shared spaces.

An environment conducive to listening and learning
The new school houses preschoolers and pupils up to Year 6. Given the liveliness of the children, emphasis has been placed on reducing noise as much as possible in the classrooms, corridors and communal areas. For example, everybody wears socks rather than shoes, which also improves hygiene at the school.

Moreover, the school has been fitted with sound-dampening materials. Among other things, white-painted Troldtekt in ultrafine structure have been installed on all ceilings in the corridors and classrooms.