The Danish design firm Henning Larsen has won a competition to remodel and expand Glyvra School, creating a learning space where community, architecture, and landscape all come together. 

In order to provide protected outdoor areas, plenty of daylight, and views of the fjord from the classrooms, the plan redefines the school as a "learning village" molded by the local topography.

The redesigned school, which is tucked away between a mountain and a fjord, will prioritize active learning and the natural world in the education of the future generation. To provide sheltered outdoor areas, plenty of daylight, and views of the fjord from the classrooms, the plan redefines the school as a "learning village" formed by the local topography.

The new Glyvra School transforms the landscape into an active catalyst for community, play, and education through its design as a collection of connected structures that follow the land's natural slopes. 

The buildings naturally spread forth into the environment, green spaces are drawn into the center of the campus, and a large portion of the existing terrain is conserved. 

This fosters mobility, curiosity, and creativity all day long by creating a smooth transition between indoors and outside.

"Our design weaves exercise and play into everyday learning"

"Education here happens both indoors and out. Our design weaves exercise and play into everyday learning to ensure the surrounding nature isn't only a scenic view, but also a teacher," said Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Design Director, Henning Larsen, Faroe Islands.

"By preserving the existing school and Heimistovufjósið, the new campus will feel like an organic extension of Glyvrar, one the entire community can enjoy," Jacobsen added.

View from lunchtime

The outdoor area is used all year round, encouraging everything from social contact to hands-on investigation, thanks to sheltered play areas, diversified planting, and natural wind protection. 

For kids ages 5 to 12, art displays and activity spaces foster community building, wellbeing, and sensory stimulation, transforming the school into a dynamic learning environment.

The campus serves as a social and cultural hub for the Glyvrar neighborhood, and outdoor amenities go beyond the school's boundaries. 

A network of recreational routes and activity spaces intended for daily usage by the school and the larger community includes landscaped courtyards, walkways connecting to the beach, and amenities for sauna and sea swimming. In this way, the school serves as both a place of education and the center of village life, which continues long beyond school hours.

"Education here happens both indoors and out. Our design weaves exercise and play into everyday learning.," Jacobsen added.

View from a recital

Music school 

The historic barn Heimistovufjósið, built in the 1950s by local architect Niels Pauli Hansen, will house the new music school. 

The design incorporates modern amenities for music education, rehearsal, and performance while honoring the building's dimensions, materials, and architectural expression. Strengthening ties between education, culture, and the local community is the goal of dedicated teaching areas, rehearsal facilities, and a concert hall.

500 children from preschool, middle school, after-school programs, and special education will be able to attend the 10,000 square meter school.

Aerial diagram

Runavikar Municipality commissioned Henning Larsen and Ramboll to renovate and expand the existing Glyvra School and establishing a new music school inside the 75-year-old Heimistovufjoňsið barn on site in order to accommodate the expanding population.

"One project stands out and has managed exceptionally well to transform the blueprint — our needs, desires, and dreams — into a building that we are happy to have as our landmark. As a reflection of our soul, community, and history," said Sigrid J. Dalsgaard, Jury Secretary and Project Leader.

Section

To guarantee that the school is always fully operational, construction will be completed in several stages. The staggered method enables the completion and occupancy of new facilities prior to the renovation or demolition of existing structures.

Section

Section

Elevation

Elevation

Elevation

Recently, Henning Larsen won the competition to design the new Centralbadet in Gothenburg, a public swimming and sports center that celebrates the city's traditions of sports, public health, and community life. In addition, the firm revealed construction details from its new rammed earth football campus in Uganda. Moreover, Henning Larsen completed the design of a new church in Skanderborg, Denmark. 

All renderings © Plomp.

All drawings © Henning Larsen.

> via Henning Larsen

concept Henning Larsen school transformation village