Vibrant spaces

The new Euro­pean School Copen­hagen adds vibrant spaces to the historic brewery site “Carls­berg City” in Copen­hagen.

Tucked between Copenhagen’s historic Carls­berg buil­dings a new public school recently opened for around 900 students with inter­na­tional back­ground. Desi­gned by NORD Archi­tects and Vilhelm Lauritzen Archi­tects, the Euro­pean School Copen­hagen is a new inter­na­tional school that promotes modern lear­ning land­scapes whilst merging school and city toge­ther through open public spaces.

Free of charge

The Euro­pean School Copen­hagen is the first public inter­na­tional school in Denmark. The school offers a multi­cul­tural and multi­l­in­gual educa­tion for the 900 students atten­ding nursery, primary and secon­dary school. Ever­yone can seek admis­sion. The school is part of the Danish welfare system and free of charge.

The school is financed by the City of Copen­hagen, Reald­ania, the Novo Nordisk Foun­da­tion, the Nordea Fund and the Industry Fund.

Multicultural reach

The Euro­pean School Copen­hagen has a multi­cul­tural reach supported by the city of Copen­hagen and distin­gu­ished Danish inter­na­tional compa­nies. The inter­na­tional perspec­tive of the school is embedded in the local district of Carls­berg City with several archi­tec­tural land­marks and a long history of indus­trial brewery site.

Storytelling architecture

The historic surroun­dings set the outline of the new school between the exis­ting buil­ding mass at Carls­berg. The site is an attrac­tive neigh­bour­hood with outstan­ding and storytel­ling archi­tec­ture founded in specific func­tions – and reflec­ting a fasci­na­tion of deco­ra­tive brick­work.

The Euro­pean School Copen­hagen is inte­grated in the living history of indus­trial archi­tec­ture and era charac­te­rized by entre­pre­neur­ship and chal­len­ging vision under­pinned by science and educa­tion. The new school builds upon this tradi­tion and cultural heri­tage — unfolded as a new inter­pre­ta­tion in its own time.

Everyone is welcome

NORD Archi­tects and Vilhelm Lauritzen Archi­tects won the compe­ti­tion in 2015 in team with the cons­tructor BAM Denmark and EKJ Engi­neers.

With respect to the historic surroun­dings, the archi­tects have maxi­mised school space and created an open, modern and vibrant lear­ning envi­ron­ment – not only for the students. Ever­yone is welcome to use the school grounds. It was crucial to the archi­tects to create a func­tio­ning school that simul­ta­neously inter­acts with the area and this extra­or­di­nary historic site.

Social interaction

The school’s lear­ning spaces are centered around two major lear­ning stairs that run verti­cally through the five floors and unite all classes and age gaps.

The lear­ning stairs are multi­func­tional recrea­tional spaces as well as teaching areas for larger or smaller groups of students. They also provide visual contact and cohe­rence between the diffe­rent zones and spaces across the classes, high­lighting the canteen as a central and social gathe­ring place.

Sports hall

The Euro­pean School Copen­hagen is inte­grated into Carls­berg City as part of a new urban land­scape without bold borders between school and city. The sports hall is part of this inter­me­diate zone which is connected to the roof land­scape that rises in diffe­rent levels with recrea­tional spaces, acti­vi­ties and play­grounds.

Win win

The rela­tion between the insti­tu­tion and the city becomes a ‘win win-situa­tion’ where spaces, func­tions and square meters are shared, thus crea­ting a social sustainable utili­sa­tion of valuable urban areas.

In addi­tion, there is the symbiosis of a modern pedago­gical concept and an equally open archi­tec­ture, which skilfully orien­tates itself towards the exis­ting archi­tec­tural tradi­tions, without chum­ming up.

“Hey, teachers, leave them kids alone” Pink Floyd once protested against outdated and autho­ri­ta­rian educa­tional systems. Other songs are probably sung at the Euro­pean School in Copen­hagen — but singing is defi­ni­tely here.