BIG has completed the second phase of a project at founding partner Bjarke Ingels’ old high school in Copenhagen, Denmark – adding a 1,400sq m (15,069sq ft) arts and culture building.
The new addition at Gammel Hellerup High School follows the installation of a multi-purpose sports hall in 2013, which paid homage to Ingels’ old maths teacher by using the mathematical formula for a ballistic arc to shape the geometry of its curved roof.
Located next to the sports hall, parts of the new two-level building have been placed beneath a football field. It features education facilities and classrooms for cultural activities covering arts, music, drama, and student counselling.
BIG said the building had been designed to connect the sports areas with the gym’s existing educational facilities in one continuous flow. Students are able to walk through the sunken sports hall at the centre of the school’s courtyard to the classrooms, cafeteria, and out to the main entrance at street level.
The roof of the building extends the school’s existing football fields into a green carpet that can be used as informal seating to overlook sports events.
The new building complements the original sports hall by reversing materials and finishes. While the sports hall is made of concrete with wooden finishes, the new classrooms feature wooden walls spanning the length of the building, with concrete ceilings and floors.
Taken together, the two new buildings increase the capacity of the school in response to its growing popularity.
