Råholt Secondary School

Eidsvoll, Norway

Building Type

Lower Secondary School, 13-15 years, 420 students

Project Scope

Invited Competition, 1st prize, Full Contract

Client

Eidsvoll County

Size

5 200 m²

Budget

120 mill NOK

Status

Completed 2004

Project Team

K.Jarmund, L.D.Houck, K.K.Karlsen, P.O.Haugen, T.Hjelle

Photo

S.Wiik, P.Maning, M.Møller

Råholt school is set in a rural, agricultural landscape. The one-story glass pavilion is a 75 by 75 meter square. It is raised on a half-meter high platform and appears to hover above the surrounding fields. The entrance leads into an open-air atrium at the centre of the building. Four additional courtyards are cut into the structure. These inverted spaces allow for daylight to penetrate deep into the building.

Inside, the functions are given the design of a “village”. There are no corridors, instead, main streets, narrow paths, open squares, light wells and gardens. The centrally positioned auditoriums are designed as way finding objects. They penetrate the roof and serve as visual signals to the outside world. Råholt School received Designers Saturday’s Best Norwegian Interior Award and honourable mention in National Building Quality Award, both 2005.

Watch Kristin give a guided tour at Råholt here (extract from “Bästa Formen” SVT 2005).

More at: ArchDaily