Description
The Oslo International School in Bekkestua is a private school for some 500 pupils, comprising kindergarten, primary and secondary school. In three phases it was both refurbished and extended. The refurbishment of a 1960s school building that had previously served families on the local NATO military base has brought a freshness and new identity to the school. The existing school was already successful in providing a well-rounded education but the tired building was in need of repair and lacked spaces to allow for expansion. According to the architects, ‘the preservation and renovation of existing buildings is essential for a greater sense of cultural continuity.’
Jarmund/Vigsnaes’ analysis of the school recognised the good parts of the school, from the simple modular structure to the good circulation afforded by the single-storey plan. The school also benefitted from a strong relationship with its site which provided good daylight levels, access to the outside and surrounding woodland. The decision to refurbish the school meant that the school could remain open throughout the construction work.
The first phase of the work reconditioned the original building, creating a new entrance, extending into the courtyard to build new learning pavilions containing science laboratories, a library and assembly space. New insulation and mechanical services greatly improved the energy performance of the school buildings. The new pavilions forge a stronger relationship between the school and the internal courtyard whilst creating a new architectural language of softly rounded timber structures. These organically shaped structures were clad with specially milled wooden paneling in convex and concave shapes, treated with clear tar. Inside, the wooden walls were whitewashed. The second phase encompasses a pavilion accommodating a new kindergarten with ten classrooms and administration offices to the front of the school. The building is clad in vertical strips of fibre cement boards in ten bright colours that envelop and protect the younger pupils. The third phase will house gymnasium and performance spaces.
Drawings
southwest
Photos
Exterior view
Interior view
Originally published in: Prue Chiles (ed.), Leo Care, Howard Evans, Anna Holder, Claire Kemp, Building Schools: Key Issues for Contemporary Design, Birkhäuser, 2015.