Interviews about and case studies of

learning environments of tomorrow

Learning
Spaces
Contents
Learning Spaces 5

Architecture in Motion 15
An introduction to the historical and architectural development of
the educational institutions of Denmark.

50 Years' Experience 19
Director and Partner Louis Becker gives an overview of the company's
approach to educational buildings in the past, present and future.

Community Across 29
Rector of University College Sjlland, Ulla W. Koch, talks about
how the new buildings enhance the study environment.

Sustainability in Educational Buildings 41

Henning Larsen Architects' Sustainability Department is part of
every project ensuring healthy, sustainable and low-energy-use
educational buildings.

Playing with Light 49

Anne Iversen, Ph.D., explains the importance and value of working
with daylight. Anne is Henning Larsen Architects' in-house expert
on natural and artificial light.

The History of Educational Buildings 61

Learning Spaces in the Making 64

About Us and Contact 74

When creating buildings, we focus on the interaction between
people. To shape spaces that support and give inspiration to
the teaching strategies is our main goal.
- Louis Becker, Director and Partner, Henning Larsen Architects
Learning Spaces
The design and development of educational institutions has been a
defining focus in the history of Henning Larsen Architects; founder Henning
Larsen as well as anumber of his earliest employees were also engaged in
teaching positions at the Royal Academy. The company won its first design
competition in 1960. It was a proposal for a modern elementary school in
Roskilde, Denmark. The assignment that followed became the first life
nerve of the firm.

Henning Larsen Architects has more than 50 years of experience in designing and

5|
detailing different types of educational buildings and learning environments.
Our projects vary in scale and function; from daycare centers, primary and

Learning Spaces
secondary schools and high schools, to universities and research institutes.

From its founding, the firm's relation to the educational world has closely
tied us to the development of the profession and to new thoughts and
impulses that contribute to the constant evolution of architecture.

Among Henning Larsen Architects' recent Danish projects, three of the

most significant are: the University of Southern Denmarks new campus
in Kolding; a campus in Roskilde which consolidates University College
Sjlland's professional Bachelors programs; and, Moesgaard Museum,
a new museum and research facility for archaeology and ethnography at
Aarhus University.

Henning Larsen Architects' vast, international experience allows our projects

to evolve from an atmosphere of cross-cultural inspiration. Currently, the
company is detailing buildings in more than 20 countries. Among these are
the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany; Campus Aas
a large university and research facility in Norway; and, the state-of-the-
art Institute of Diplomatic Studies in Saudi Arabia.

Well-functioning spaces for learning support and inspire today's pre-eminent

teaching strategies. Students, teachers and researchers should feel uplifted by
their physical surroundings. A successful educational building enriches its users,
fosters affiliation and improves the daily function of students and teachers.
 Moesgaard
Museum at Aarhus
University
Learning Spaces
8|

Moesgaard Museum at Aarhus University

Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Year of construction: 2010 - 2013
Gross floor area: 16,000 m2

The new facilities at Moesgaard accommodate archaeological and ethnogra-

phic exhibitions, special and student exhibitions, an auditorium, conference
rooms, a public caf, and a gift shop. Outside, the grass-covered roof func-
tions as a park, where visitors can enjoy the view of the forest, the ocean,
and the beautiful landscape surrounding Moesgaard Manor the historic
former home of Moesgaard Museum. The building is home to researchers
and administrative personnel of the University of Aarhus' Department of
Culture and Society, the Anthropology and Archaeology departments.
Ume School of
Architecture
Learning Spaces
12 |

Ume School of Architecture

Location: Ume, Sweden
Year of construction: 2007-2010
Gross floor area: 5,000 m2

As a growth centre for the architecture of the future, Ume School of Ar-
chitecture provides the framework for inspiration and innovation. From the
outside, the building has a cubic expression with square windows placed in
a vibrant, rhythmic sequence on all sides of its larch facades. The interior
space of the building is designed as a dynamic sequence of stairs and split,
open-floor levels where classrooms are designed as abstract, white boxes
that hang freely from the ceiling, filtering the light coming in through the
high skylights. The design supports the opportunity for mutual inspiration
and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and ideas between the students.
Learning Spaces
14 |

In the future, the borders of educational buildings will blur. Learning

facilities will be a more integrated part of the surrounding society.
- Louis Becker, Director and Partner, Henning Larsen Architects
Architecture in Motion
Whether you are building for kindergarten kids or hydrogen researchers,
educational buildings are all about creating a space which invites
absorption and focus, cooperation, and dialogue and which also
provides areas for both the group and the individual.

Architects ideas about spaces that promote learning and sense of

community have taken many forms over the years. The first educational

15 |
campuses consisted of a number of individual buildings with connecting
passages between them. Especially in Scandinavia, the character of this

Learning Spaces
typology was radically implemented as a glass-covered town with streets
and squares.

Henning Larsens University in Trondheim from 1978 is one of the earliest

examples of this. The main street, which connects the whole university,
becomes an active zone with spaces for both the collective and the
individual. From that main street, life runs to the rest of the building
Louis Becker is Director and Partner
complex. The university is designed from a modern perspective, and many
at Henning Larsen Architects.
of the principles it implements are still used in our current educational
projects.

"People are in focus in Trondheim University. The covered town offers

the opportunity to gather outside lectures in a comfortable climate that
extends the otherwise brief Norwegian summer. The town plan promotes
random encounters between people and across disciplines, which gives a
feeling of being together in a diverse university environment that beats
with common pulse," explains Louis Becker, Director and Partner at
Henning Larsen Architects. He continues:

"The central theme in our building isand has always beento encourage
encounters between people and to create a space that inspires and starts a
dialogue between pedagogical strategies. In many of our current buildings,
the spatial experience is of a town within a town, where the walking lines
are broken to create a more varied urban spatiality."
 Trondheim University dates back
to 1978, but its design vision of a
covered city is still well-functioning
and inspiring today.
Learning Spaces

"Learning environments must include areas for absorption and zones

for communication. The architecture should consider both students' and
teachers' needs to alternate between different forms of learning and
working. Many of our buildings are based in a clear organization that
16 |

stages the schools' many contact points and the interaction between the
various user groups and across departments, faculties and disciplines,"
explains Becker.

An example of this is the new Campus Kolding at the University of

Southern Denmark. The classrooms and offices are located along the
facades on the upper floors and connected by a large atrium, where the
movement to and from the educational spaces is the central focus. The
staircase and large landings create places for informal meetings between
students and teachers.

Henning Larsen Architects' most important tool and resource in the

creation of learning spaces is daylight. Light is one of the most vital
factors for learning. Daylight creates a sense of well-being and enjoyment
of life, but it also helps to improve our focus and performance.

"Depending on the context, we work with daylight in many different ways.

In primary schools or creative institutions we use the changing nature of
daylight to stimulate creativity and playful learning. At universities and
institutes of higher education, we ensure a more even distribution of light
that is pulled far into classrooms, providing ideal conditions for reading
and studying," says Louis Becker.

In recent years, there has been a tendency in the construction of educational

buildings towards a more commercial look. Today it is very common that
adults seek further professional training, and educational institutions are
therefore designed to also accommodate conferences, entertainment
events and other activities from the business sector. Furthermore, when
companies build new offices, they seek to create spaces that accommodate
learning, creativity and knowledge sharing.

"In the future we will see educational buildings with blurred boundaries
boundaries between home study and teaching, between work and
education, between formal and informal learning, etc. will be minimised
in favor of a total learning environment. Educational buildings will
furthermore become an integrated part of the surrounding community,"
predicts Louis Becker.

An example of this dissolution of boundaries is the Frankfurt School of

Finance & Management, which is currently under construction. Two rows

17 |
of high building volumes create an elongated, public space between them.
The new facility will be the school's natural gathering point, and will

Learning Spaces
provide a framework for an open and inviting learning environment.

From the central core, there is a view to the central business district
of Frankfurt. This connection helps to strengthen the link between
the academic and business environments and helps the students'
understanding of challenges and opportunities in the business sector.

"I believe that learning is something that greatly develops in interaction

with others. So even if the trend is in the direction of increasing digitization
and long-distance education, I am convinced that physical learning spaces
that create interactions between people are always needed," says Louis
Becker.

"The physical learning environment can be something better than the The Frankfurt School of Finance
experience of e-learning. Physical learning spaces can support what goes & Management is an example of a
on between the lines and between people. Educational buildings should building connecting with the city.

help to stimulate this inter-personal and interdisciplinary space, now and Find more about the case in the
catalogue.
in the future."
Learning Spaces
18 |

Trondheim University Freie Universitt Berlin Roskilde University Center IT University University of Plymouth
Trondheim, Norway Berlin, Germany Roskilde, Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark Plymouth, United Kingdom

1978 1999 2007

1965 1982 2004

Primary School Hje-Taastrup High School Copenhagen Business School Frederiksberg Jtt Vocational School
Roskilde, Denmark Hje-Taastrup, Denmark Frederiksberg, Denmark Upper Secondary School Stavanger, Norway
Frederiksberg, Denmark
 50 Years' Experience
Henning Larsen Architects has designed educational facilities since the
foundation of the company in 1959. Though decades have passed since the
opening of the first Henning Larsen-designed university, putting people
first has been a unifying principle in all of the firm's subsequent educatio-
nal buildings. Daylight and community-creating spaces continue to be key
components in our designs.

Below is a visual overview of some of the educational institutions Henning

Larsen Architects has designed over the past 50 years.

19 |
Learning Spaces
Daycare Center - Bernts Have Ume School of Architecture City Campus Aalborg Daycare Center - Saxtorphsvej
Holbk, Denmark Ume, Sweden Aalborg, Denmark Valby, Denmark

2010 2014
Get an overview of future
projects on p. 68

2012

Ringsted High School Reykjavk University Campus Roskilde SDU Campus Kolding
Ringsted, Denmark Reykjavk, Iceland Roskilde, Denmark Kolding, Denmark
 Frankfurt
School of Finance
& Management
Learning Spaces
22 |

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Year of construction: 2013 - 2016
Gross floor area: 42,000 m2

The Frankfurt School of Finance & Management is a private business

school based in one of Europes leading financial centers. The architecture
of the building encourages students to interact with the surrounding city;
lecture rooms and conference facilities are situated adjacent to the library,
canteen and shops functions within the campus buildings which are
open to the public. The link between the new school and Frankfurts cen-
tral business district will strengthen the connection between the academic
and commercial environments and improve students understanding of
the challenges and opportunities in business.
 IT
University
Learning Spaces
26 |

IT University
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Year of construction: 2001 - 2004
Gross floor area: 19,000 m2

IT University is arranged around a large central atrium. In a dynamic com-

position, a number of meeting rooms, designed as corbelled boxes like
extracted drawers of various sizes push into the space of the atrium
from every level. The ground floor holds all the common facilities including
lecture halls, student caf, canteen and library. All research and teaching
areas are located on the upper floors. There are teaching facilities in open
study areas surrounding the atrium and research departments in the less
active zones at both ends of the building.
Community Across
Campus Roskilde, located a stones throw from Roskilde University,
houses bachelor programs ranging from Education and Social Work
to Nursing and Pedagogy. The vision of the project has been to offer
the students the feeling of being a part of a unified and multi-faceted

29 |
university environment.

Learning Spaces
How does Campus Roskilde differ from other buildings built with the same
purpose?

What is special about this building is the great flexibility achieved although
we have so few square meters compared to other buildings, as well as the
number of students we have. There are over 3,000 students at Campus
Roskilde but even though the total area is small, it does not feel as if there
Ulla Koch was appointed rector
is less space. There are neither permanent workplaces for the employees
at University College Sjlland in
nor permanent classrooms for the students. Only a few classrooms are 2007. She has been part of the
specifically designed for one course, leaving the others flexible so that all entire process of erecting the new
six departments can use virtually any classroom. campus.

Did you as a rector have a lot of influence on how the building was designed?

I believe that it is important for students to feel that they are a part of
a community both physically and psychologically. That is why it was
important for me to have a building where students could work across
subjects and see each other. In order to provide a high degree of flexibility,
it was important for me to create a lot of different workplaces for both
students and employees, which could also provide a sense of community.
And every time I step into the building I see this dream coming true
everyone is seated just the way I had imagined.

In this short video interview, Rec-
tor Ulla Koch shows us around at
Campus Roskilde. Click the image
to watch.
Learning Spaces
30 |
At the same time it was important both for me and the management that
this building works optimally both in terms of aesthetics and function.
To create a comfortable study environment Henning Larsen Architects
was asked to design the interior solutions. They have created a unique
environment with unique solutions such as the black cubes which the
students use for group work and I use for meetings. The cubes are enclosed
so you feel a bit shielded from the outside, but still feel like a part of life
in the building.
How do architecture, education, and context come together in Campus
Roskilde?
It was a conscious decision from our part to place Campus Roskilde
near Roskilde University - RUC. Our own building is intended as a stage
for sharing knowledge across disciplines, and we also like that kind of
knowledge sharing across institutions. It can be both professionally and
socially, where our students take a course over the RUC or vice versa. At
the same time, we have, as management, a very good cooperation with
RUC and it is supported by the context.
What reactions have you gotten to the new environment from the students
and teachers?
To create a building without permanent workplaces for employees or
permanent classrooms for students is the basis for the flexibility and
the knowledge sharing we find essential in educational buildings. But it
is also change of culture for teachers and students who otherwise are
accustomed to fixed workstations and meeting rooms. The students,
who are entering a completely new context, have been more open to new
transparency of building, and with time, I also believe that employees
will see the profitable aspects. Already now our users are proud to be
representatives of the new building.
Campus
Roskilde
Learning Spaces
34 |

Campus Roskilde
Location: Roskilde, Denmark
Year of construction: 2010 - 2012
Gross floor area: 20,000 m2

Campus Roskilde consists of four square buildings slightly rotated to-

wards each other to screen the area from the adjacent motorway and crea-
te a more intimate, varied space around the campus square. The new cam-
pus will facilitate dialogue and informal meetings and provide students
with a feeling of being part of a cohesive but multi-disciplinary university
environment. Under the overhang of the main building, a roofed square
will open up to the rest of the campus area and create life and a sense of
community among the students.
 SDU
Campus Kolding
Learning Spaces
38 |

SDU Campus Kolding

Location: Kolding, Denmark
Year of construction: 2012 - 2014
Gross floor area: 13,700 m2

With its triangular shape, Campus Kolding at the University of Southern

Denmark creates a significant new landmark in Kolding. As the new lear-
ning center of excellence, Campus Kolding houses courses in communica-
tions, design, culture and languages. Inside in the five-floor-high atrium,
the displaced position of the staircases and balconies creates a special dy-
namic, the triangular shape repeating, and continually shifing its position
up through the different floors.
Sustainability in
Educational Buildings
Sustainability is more than CO2 calculations and roof-mounted solar
panels. Partner and Architect Signe Kongebro explains Henning Larsen
Architects approach to the sustainable design of educational buildings,
in which social sustainability plays a large part.

41 |
Our educational institutions frame the personal development and education

Learning Spaces
of our children and young people. They frame learning environments that
stimulate the pupils' curiosity and eagerness to learn. This is where the
foundation stones of our common, sustainable future are laid. Thus,
the educational buildings we create must exemplify robust, sustainable
solutions that meet future needs both socially, environmentally and
Partner and Architect, Signe
economically. A building should operate with low energy consumption and
Kongebro, is Head of Henning
offer a healthy, bright and inspiring indoor climate.
Larsen Architects' Sustainability
Department.
One of the key elements in achieving a good indoor climate is daylight.
When utilized wisely, daylight can improve students' wellbeing and indoor
experience as well as reduce the building's level of energy consumption.
Research proves that the right amount of daylight helps students to learn
faster and achieve better results (World Green Building Council, 2013). The
correct use of daylight supports our children's intellectual development.
Furthermore, daylight is a rich resource when it comes to designing a
dynamic learning environment with great variation in intensity of light,
color rendering, orientation and movement of light through the space. This
dynamic influences our experience of space, time and colors as well as our
motivation and ability to learn and be creative.

In Ume School of Architecture daylight has been utilized to create a

dynamic and creative learning environment. The design of the faade
allows for the daylight to enter the building through windows of various
sizes, thus creating an ever-changing inflow of daylight. At the University
 of Southern Denmark's Campus Kolding, we worked with dynamic solar
shading mounted to the faade. The automatic shading system adjusts
according to the exterior daylight conditions and creates a comfortable
indoor environment all day and all year round. The skylight above the large
atrium brings daylight into the core of the building. These institutions are
both examples of what is possible when daylight is considered in the very
first phases of the design process.

Having a dialogue with the students about sustainable topics is another

important element to our approach. This was the focal point when
Learning Spaces

designing a new campus for Lillebaelt Academy in Odense. In this building,

the students will be introduced to innovative installations, constructions,
and materials, and work with them on an everyday basis. The different
solutions are integrated all over the building in ways that make it easy
to access and study them from different perspectives. Furthermore the
42 |

students will be involved in the sustainable operation of the school and

adjacent outdoor areas. This of course is for the sake of the environment,
but it is also for the sake of the students; they will get an understanding
of the importance of sustainable solutions from very early on in their
studies. The expectation is that this will equip them to come up with
smart solutions in their future work lives.

Up until now, the team behind the project has been working on several
solutions and options for integrated teaching initiatives. One of them
is called Inspect the solar panels. It is a project that offers students
access to the building's solar installations. Another solution experiments
with phytoremediation plants ability to clean polluted soil. This project
enables the students to harvest and analyze the amount of toxic content
in the plant residues and closely follow the process of cleaning a former
industrial site by using plants.

Social sustainability was also the centre of discussions when designing

Campus Roskilde. An open and transparent building, it gathers students
who were previously located at different buildings an campuses.
This facility, in many senses, set the agenda for future educational
environments especially because of its flexibility and the opportunities
for cross-disciplinary activities. Without fixed classrooms, students move
around campus according to their subjects and needs. Likewise, the Rector
doesnt have her own office; she utilizes the open work places and reserves
meeting rooms under the same conditions as the students. The open plan
solution gathers all students in the large atrium and supports the feeling
of community and equal status while ensuring an efficient use of square
meters.

The economic and environmental aspects of sustainable educational

building are also evident in the energy consumption of the building. If
sustainable solutions are part of the design process from the very early
stages, enormous savings can be gained from the energy consumption
level. Campus Kolding is Denmarks first university building that meets
the demands of the 2015 national building regulations. It has an energy
consumption of only 38 kWh/m2/year. This is due to smart use of
geometry, orientation, daylight and materials.

The geometry and indoor organization of the building ensure the floor area
to be optimally utilized. Our calculations of the total energy consumption
level of the building together with changes in the indoor climate at

43 |
different places around the building have guided us in the design stages.
Furthermore the building has been part of a three-year-long development

Learning Spaces
project, testing the thermal properties of concrete. In every floor, the
concrete is exposed allowing it to accumulate heat and cold. The concrete
slabs help adjust the temperature by collecting and releasing heat according
to the present indoor temperature. This means that the necessity for
mechanical cooling and heating is decreased.

Sustainability has many ramifications. In today's complex landscape, we

believe that the most important thing to keep in mind is creating synergy
between the quantitative and qualitative components of building design.
The energy-saving indoor climate should go hand-in-hand with good
learning environments. By utilizing existing resources more efficiently,
this is actually possible. Smart use of daylight, for instance, has a direct
impact on the actual sensed indoor climate, energy consumption, and the
wellbeing of students and teachers and their impression of the spaces.
Art Museum at
Ume University
Learning Spaces
46 |

Ume Art Museum

Location: Ume, Sweden
Year of construction: 2009 - 2011
Gross floor area: 3,500 m2

The Art Museum, Bildmuseet, at Ume University is situated at the new

Arts Campus by Henning Larsen Architects along the Ume River. The con-
solidation of artistic institutes and exhibition facilities is based on a close
collaboration between various companies with a view to allow art, design
and architecture to benefit from one another. The tower comprises three
exhibition halls placed upon each other - with inserted floor plans featuring
the auditorium, childrens workshops and administration.
Playing with Light
Light is one of the most important factors in the learning process. Just
as the new Danish school reform invites playful methods of learning,
buildings for schoolchildren should also incorporate light to stimulate

49 |
creativity

Learning Spaces
This is the message in an article written for the magazine LYS ("LIGHT")
by Anne Iversen and Jakob Strmann-Andersen, both of Henning Larsen
Architects' Sustainability Department.

The Danish public school reform sets the scene for playful learning, in
which teaching no longer takes the shape of one-way communication
from teachers to pupils, but rather encourages varied and diverse learning
methods in reading corners, on the playground and across different
subjects. This requires that the design and construction of educational
facilities move in new directions.

A school or a classroom should not shut out expressions from the outside Anne Iversen holds an M.Sc. and
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and
world. Rather, it should be a place where inspiration and diversity is
specializes in energy-efficient
cultivated, says Anne Iversen, Ph.D. and Civil Engineer.
building with emphasis on daylight
performance. She is engaged
Children should be offered the opportunity to sit on the windowsill and with Henning Larsen Architects'
enjoy a book in the sun. At the same time, it should also be possible to find Sustainability Department.
a quiet corner, in which it is possible to draw back a little from both light
and outside activities, she elaborates.

In connection with the design for the Frederiksbjerg School, which is

currently under construction in Aarhus, emphasis has been on daylight
as a dynamic light source, constantly shifting in intensity and direction.
Specifically, gradation of window sizes has been incorporated in the design
 The new daycare center "Drivhuset"
in Copenhagen is designed to en-
courage play and learning through
various types of spatial and day-
light experiences.
Learning Spaces

of the faade windows are bigger in the middle, smaller on top and
smallest at street-level.
50 |

The larger middle windows provide a panoramic view of the outside life:
the schools green courtyard on one side, and the urban space on the
other. The top windows ensure an even light that is drawn far into the
building, while the smaller windows below create window nooks in which
the children can read and play. Similar faades have been implemented in
the design of the daycare facilities at Drivhuset in Coepnhagen and the
Ume School of Architecture, both schools highly valued by their users.

According to Jakob Strmann-Andersen, Ph.D. and Lead Engineer with

Henning Larsen Architects, it is possible to create faades that allow for
evenly-distributed, high levels of daylight to enter the building. However,
it is not only the amount of light that is important.

Educational facilities with such traditional faades indicate a lack of

understanding of how the dynamics of light also influence how children
experience colors, space and time, as well as their desire and ability to
actively engage in learning, he says, adding:

Just as the reform of the Danish school system sets the scene for diversity
in learning methods, the construction of educational facilities should also
emphasize diversity in, for instance, light intensity, colour reproduction
and the variation of daylight throughout the day.
City Campus
Aalborg
Learning Spaces
54 |

City Campus Aalborg

Location: Aalborg, Denmark
Year of construction: 2012 - 2014
Gross floor area: 20,000 m2

The new City Campus Aalborg is the result of Aalborg Municipalitys signi-
ficant investments in education. The building is organized around an open
central atrium and a large, south-facing outdoor courtyard, which is con-
nected to the interior environment with several large windows, creating
cohesion between the internal and external activities of the square. The
building accommodates 900 students, permanent staff and researchers in
the creative areas of study.
Reykjavk
University
Learning Spaces
58 |

Reykjavk University
Location: Reykjavk, Iceland
Year of construction: 2007 - 2010
Gross floor area: 90,000 m2

Reykjavk University consolidates the formerly disparate university func-

tions at one campus in the southern part of the city. The project realizes
the idea of the university as a city, allowing the individual departments
to be organized as independent quarters around a uniting, inner hub. The
hub provides access to all the university departments while housing the
common university facilities such as caf, restaurants, art gallery, gym,
bookshop, nursery, library, etc. Thus, a lively urban scene is created in the
building a vibrant centre that generates life and radiates its energy to the
surrounding streets.
 The Danish Model

1814
The Folkeskole was
founded in 1814, and, at
that time, all children
were given the right to
seven years of education.
Desk teaching was the
only teaching form. In the
city, new schools were
built; in the countryside
schools were fitted into
the teacher's home.

1937
Changes to the Education
Learning Spaces

Act in 1937 resulted in

the construction of many
large 'central schools.'
They were located to
support equal opportuni-
ties for children living in
cities and in the coun-
tryside. The new schools
60 |

focused on the practical

application of theory, thus
dedicated subject rooms
were highly prioritized.

1990
Throughout the '80s
and '90s, computers
and creative subjects
were integrated into the
curriculum. Project work
became a common teach-
ing form and enabled the
pupils to study all over the
school, which soon took
shape of a city within the
city with open areas for
unplanned meetings and
group work.

2014
In the beginning of the
21st century, a number of
comprehensive changes
to the Education Act have
already been implement-
ed. Teaching forms are
influenced by technology,
and school architecture
has taken on a much
more flexible character
as children should now be
in school for at least 30
hours a week.
The History of
Educational Buildings
The architecture of educational institutions reflects trending thoughts
on how students are not only taught core academic subjects, but brought
up holistically to become well-rounded human beings and good citizens.

The Danish Folkeskole (municipal school) is a type of school covering

the entire period of compulsory education, from the age of six to 16,
encompassing pre-school, primary, and lower secondary education. For
more than 200 years the Folkeskole has provided compulsory, but free
education to all children. And for more than 200 years the architecture of

61 |
learning environments has developed according to prevalent didactics and
teaching principles.

Learning Spaces
In its early stages the municipal school was marked by authoritarian
teaching principles. The teacher taught from a podium in the classroom as
a symbol of his sovereignty and power. Only he decided what to be taught
and how to teach; the childrens learning was not the greatest concern at
that time. Schools were sources of infection and a great threat to the local
society due to spread of such contagious diseases as tuberculosis. It soon
became the architects responsibility to design new, healthy municipal
schools.

The first municipal schools were designed as park-like structures with

inspiration from the pavilion hospitals of the time. It was commonly
known that daylight, fresh air and cleanliness could eliminate the risk of
infection, thus these principles from hospital and sanatorium design were
implemented in the municipal schools.

These ideas found expression in the construction of the school buildings.

Corners were rounded in order for them to be easily cleaned. Chalkboards
were painted directly onto the walls, so that dust and dirt couldnt stick to
their frames and backsides. Furthermore, large windows ensured a high
level of daylight and frsh air in the building.

In the mid-1920s, a new typology emerged, superseding the previously

dominant corridor building typology. The new form centered the classrooms
 around a large assembly hall, the aula. It took the modernist ideology with
its precepts of light and air as key components of healthy spaces even
further, and presented organically shaped and richly ornamented inspiring
spaces never seen before in school architecture.

In the '50s and '60s, village schools were updated and centralized, placing
them strategically between villages. The so-called central schools were
designed with particular focus on practical rooms. Now was the time
for the pupils to activate their theoretical knowledge and learn through
Learning Spaces

their own experiences. The central schools added a great deal of value
to the local community. After school hours, the buildings were utilized for
evening classes and different kinds of volunteer activities.

In 1967, corporal punishment was abolished, and the youth rebellion in

62 |

western countries fostered a culture where children should be treated

as individuals, the personal development of whom was also a concern of
the school. Children ought to be reared as democratic citizens, thus the
municipal school was democratized as well. As a result of this, school
councils and parent-led school boards were established.

Simultaneously, teaching principles shifted in focus from individual

learning methods to project- and group-related work. Heavy desks were
replaced with light, easily movable furniture, but the inflexibility of the
school buildings still couldnt accommodate the didactic shift.

Throughout the 1980s and '90s, schools developed towards more

project-oriented work and teaching forms, becoming what we know
today. Nowadays, pupils are taught to become independent, creative
entrepreneurs. They must be capable of identifying and solving a problem
and are responsible for their own learningschool architecture must
reflect that flexibility and focus.

Keywords are openness, transparency and innovation. School libraries are

no longer libraries only, but pedagogical development centers framing both
group work and individual absorption, while providing the opportunity to
search for new knowledge in print and digital media. In many ways, the
classroom has not changed, but classroom teaching is supplemented by
methods that yet again set new demands for the physical shaping and
functionality of the architecture.
 Learning Spaces
in the Making
Many places in the world today are experiencing a growth within the
educational sector. Henning Larsen Architects is among the leading
companies offering international learning and research facilities of high
architectural quality. Here is a look into future projects:
Learning Spaces
64 |

Prince Naif Center for ZSW Center for Solar Energy New School at Frederiksbjerg Campus Aas
Health Science Research and Hydrogen Research Aarhus, Denmark Aas, Norway
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Stuttgart, Germany

2016

2014 2018

Institute of Frankfurt School of New Campus: ESS - European

Diplomatic Studies Finance & Management Lillebaelt Academy Spallation Source
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Frankfurt, Germany Odense, Denmark Lund, Sweden
Campus Aas
Learning Spaces
68 |

Campus Aas
Location: Aas, Norway
Year of construction: 2015 - 2018
Gross floor area: 63,000 m2

The new Campus Aas merges the Norwegian University of Life Sciences
(UMB) with the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH) and the Na-
tional Veterinary Institute of Norway (NVI). The vision for the project is to
facilitate close interaction between the various educational and research
institutions, promoting knowledge-sharing and collaboration across re-
search fields. Campus Aas is a highly complex facility, comprising BSL-2 and
BSL-3 laboratories and a veterinary hospital. In addition, the new campus
will feature state-of-the art teaching and office spaces as well as meeting
and student facilities.
 ESS - European
Spallation Source
Learning Spaces
72 |

ESS - European Spallation Source

Location: Lund, Sweden
Year of construction: 2013 - 2019
Gross floor area: 100,000 m2

ESS - European Spallation Source will be a research campus with a more

than 600 -meter-long proton accelerator and a 180-meter-long hall in
which the protons hit a target and send neutrons off to a number of halls
with measuring instruments. ESS will also provide a number of facilities
for researchers: general laboratories (15,000 m2), offices and a lecture hall.
At ESS, researchers will work in a setting that supports meetings across
disciplines and research fields. In the many atriums on campus, visiting
researchers will be able to meet each other informally, inspire each other,
exchange ideas and share their knowledge.
About Us
6 OFFICES

300 PEOPLE

32 NATIONALITIES

20 COUNTRIES

75 |
Learning Spaces

Director and Partner

Louis Becker
lb@henninglarsen.com
Tel: +45 8233 3020 / +45 2715 0220

International Business Development

Amalia Gonzales Dahl
adah@henninglarsen.com
Tel: +45 8231 3101 / +45 6035 2101
Credits
Layout and text | Josefine Lykke Jensen, Morten Schjdt-Pedersen, Marie Houlberg Abildhauge Olesen,
Anna Brandt sterby, Maria Rebsdorf Rostved

TRANSLATION | Josefine Lykke Jensen, Tue Krmer Larsen

Proof reading | Natalie Jeffers-Hansen

PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS | Adam Mrk (front cover, p. 18, 24-27), Agnete Schlichtkrull (p. 15, 41, 49, back cover),
Arne Carlsen/Jens Frederiksen (p. 18), Bragi r Jsefsson (p. 19, 56-59), David Barbour (p. 18), Jens Frederiksen (p. 18),
Jens Lindhe (p. 18), Kontraframe (p. 18-19, 28-35, 48, 50-51, 60, 63, 74), Martin Schubert (p. 6-8, 19, 36-40, 52-55),
Nicolaj Bak Christiansen (p. 18), Peter Jarvad (p. 19), hlander (p. 16, 18), ke E:son Lindman (p. 10-13, 19, 44-47)
Other illustrations: Henning Larsen Architects

COLLABORATORS | Art Museum at Ume University; White Arkitekter, Tyrns, WSP Group, TM-Konsult Campus
Roskilde; Cowi, Thing & Wain, Enemrke og Pedersen Campus Aas; kaw Arkitekter, Link Landskap, NNE Phar-
maplan, Multiconsult, Hjellnes Consult City Campus Aalborg; A. Enggaard, Cowi ESS - European Spallation Source;
COBE, SLA, Buro Happold, NNE Pharmaplan, Transsolar, Bent Lauritzen, DTU Nutech Frankfurt School of Finance
and Management; Innius RR, Werner Sobek, Transsolar Institute of Diplomatic Studies; Buro Happold, Geoffrey
Barnett Associates New School at Frederiksbjerg; Hoffmann, GPP Architects, Mller & Grnborg, Niras Moesgaard
Museum at Aarhus University; Kristine Jensens Tegnestue, Cowi, D-K2, MT Hjgaard, Lindpro New Campus:
Lillebaelt Academy; A. Enggaard, Midtconsult, SLA Prince Naif Centre for Health Science Research; NNE Phar-
maplan, Buro Happold, Geoffrey Barnett Associates SDU Kolding Campus; Kristine Jensens Tegnestue, Orbicon Ume
School of Architecture; White Arkitekter, Rambll Sweden, TM-Konsult, LPS Konstruktrer ZSW Center for Solar
Energy and Hydrogen Research; Transsolar, Knippers Helbig og ZWP Ingenieur AG
 www.henninglarsen.com

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