bjarke ingels expands gammel hellerup school beneath a lifted football field

bjarke ingels expands gammel hellerup school beneath a lifted football field
image © iwan baan
all images courtesy of bjarke ingels group

following their completion of gammel hellerup high school’s multi-purpose hall in 2013, bjarke ingels group has added a 1,400 square meter building for cultural activities. the new two-level addition to the school, located just north of copenhagen, provides students with generous spaces for social and creative learning, while increasing the capacity of the school in response to its growing popularity.

the new arts building connects the sports areas with the gymnasium’s existing educational facilities
image © rasmus hjortshøj

located between the institution’s multi-purpose hall and adjacent football fields, the new arts building connects the sports areas with the gymnasium’s existing educational facilities in one continuous flow. by placing parts of the new building beneath the football pitch, the students are able to walk through the sunken sports hall at the center of the school’s courtyard, to the classrooms, cafeteria, and out to the main entrance at street level. the roof of the new arts building extend the school’s existing football fields into a green carpet that serves as informal seating to overlook sports events.

parts of the new building are placed beneath the football pitch
image © jens lindhe

‘my high-school, formerly introverted and dispersed, has become open and integrated through two focused interventions. even though each phase is autonomous and complete – their introduction in to the mix has completely reconfigured the sum of the parts. like a catalyst or an enzyme – once inserted – all the surrounding substance transforms into something completely new,’ explains bjarke ingels, founder of BIG and a former student of the school.

wooden walls span the length of the building, complemented with concrete ceilings and floors
image © jens lindhe

construction materials and finishes familiar from the multi-purpose hall have been integrated in reverse. where the sports hall is made of concrete with wooden finishes above and below ground, the classrooms are the opposite, with wooden walls spanning the length of the building, complemented by concrete ceilings and floors.

showcasing the project’s dynamic architecture, danish filmmaker kaspar astrup schroder has captured free-runner bjarke hellden’s urban acrobatics— climbing, running and swinging through the school in one continuous motion.

more intimate areas of seating
image © jens lindhe

the scheme increases the capacity of the school in response to its growing popularity
image © rasmus hjortshøj

the rooftop serves as an extension of the playing field
image © rasmus hjortshøj

the direct connection between the football field and the new building
image © jens lindhe

inside the existing gymnasium
image © rasmus hjortshøj

the view from the top of the expansion
image © rasmus hjortshøj

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project info:

type: commission
client: gammel hellerup high school
collaborators: ekj, cg jensen, jens lindhe, midconsult i herning, bent nygaard sørensen, grontmij
size: 2,500 sqm
location: hellerup, denmark
status: completed

partners in charge: bjarke ingels, finn nørkjær

project leaders (multi-use hall & gymnasium): ole schrøder, ole elkjær-larsen, frederik lyng
team (multi-use hall & gymnasium): ana merino, anders hjortnæs, christian alvarez, dennis rasmussen, gül ertekin, henrick poulsen, hjalti gestsson, jan magasanik, jakob lange, jacob thomsen, jeppe ecklon, ji-young yoon, michael schønemann, narisara schröder, riccardo mariano, rune hansen, snorre nash, thomas juul-jensen, vincent he, xu li

project manager (master plan & education building): ole elkjær-larsen
project leader (master plan & education building): tobias hjortdal
team (master plan & education building): agnete jukneviciute, ambra chiesa, brigitta gulyás, dennis rasmussen, enea michelesio, greta krenciute, høgni laksáfoss, isabella eriksson, jan magasanik, mikkel marcker stubgaard, jeppe ecklon, kamilla heskje, michael schønemann, narisara schröder, thomas juul-jensen

project leader (landscape): ole elkjær-larsen
team (landscape): brigitta gulyás, enea michelesio, mikkel marcker stubgaard, narisara schröder, tobias hjortdal