School and Lyceum at Buddinge, Denmark

Abstract

This is both a junior school and a lyceum, or higher school. It includes a total of 33 ordinary classrooms, as well as rooms for specialised teaching, two gymnasiums and a swimming pool. It can accommodate 1,600 students. The general layout gives an indication of the overall distribution system. All general purpose classrooms face south, with a view of the gardens. The intensity of illumination and sunlight are controlled by means of Venetian blinds and by other special protective devices. Windows are of wood, and turn about a horizontal axis. Both outer and inside walls are of brick, without any facing, except for a white limewash. Ceilings are lined with naturally coloured pinewood. Heating is by convection, and airconditioning installations are placed under the window sills. Buildings are of one or two storeys, stand on flat ground and tend to combine traditional constructional ideas and up to date technique. The external walls are made with precast reinforced concrete blocks, and window sills include sandwich panels, whose surface is black concrete. Inside run the heating pipes, which are placed before the rest of the structure is built. The inner walls are also made of concrete. The roof consists of inclined slabs and multiple layer heat insulation and waterproofing. All window and door woodwork is painted in various colours. The whole design provides a most pleasant visual effect, and constitutes a modern school building which is well illuminated and ventilated, and has ample space for the pupils. These are factors which are comparable in importance to the training of the mind.