Project Facts
- Location: Kungalv
- Country: Sweden
- Year of Completion: 2004
- Client: Kungalv Local Authority
- Architect: Wingardh Architects Website
- Size: Unknown
- Pupils: Unknown
- Construction Sum: Unknown
Overview
Conceived as a 'social hub' rather than an institutional establishment, Mimers Hus is the key building in the small Swedish town of Kungalv. This low-budget project is essentially a simple building made up of three major blocks; lower school, middle school and community facilities. As typifies many Scandinavian buildings, the internal finishes are robust and well crafted. The three-storey building volume is used to great effect, with circulation spaces often doubling as study areas and informal meeting places. Triple-height spaces are used to dramatic effect in the library and art gallery, doubling up for school and community use.
Themes
Integrated flexibility for space and learning
Flexibility comes in the form of larger spaces that can be adapted for different uses. Although all walls are fixed, the generous allocation of space in studio rooms, open galleries and exhibition space mean that a range of activities can be accommodated and established in an impromptu fashion. This feeling of space and flexibility also helps to give the building a civic quality, which is rarely seen in school design.
Integrated social and physical context
Mimers Hus is perhaps closer to a cultural centre than a school. The library and auditorium are community facilities used throughout the day, as is the art gallery, which has contemporary exhibitions from professional artists as well as school goers. The simplicity and clean lines of the concrete 'fins' help to support the sense of a cultural complex rather than an institutional building that really is a central hub for the wider community.
The building is split into three distinct blocks to break down the volume of the building and to fit in with the existing street system, which flows between the blocks.
Sources
Canizares, A. and Fajardo, J. (eds.) Kindergartens, Schools and Playgrounds, Loft, Spain. 2007
