The new building is located not far from the commune house for retirees, about which we recently wrote. So far, the first stage of the project, a nursery-garden, has been implemented, but by 2020 the second building will be built - a secondary school, and the total area of the complex will reach 9000 m2, and the number of students - 700.
The building plan echoes the surrounding streets; in the ring of two buildings - the existing and the future - an inner courtyard will appear, surrounded by galleries. The facade made of multi-colored fiber cement panels in the upper part is protected from the weather and the heat of the sun with an enamelled aluminum mesh. The concrete building is covered with a wooden roof.
The layout of the building meets the latest pedagogical ideas: there are no usual rows of desks and classrooms, and teachers and educators are not fenced off from children by massive tables. Each room is designed for one of the types of activities, and children will move between them; in addition, the arrangement of furniture and even the size of the premises can be changed (thanks to movable partitions). The student chairs are complemented by round banquets, bean bags and fitballs.
At the same time, the building is divided into "modules", each for 75 children. At the center of such a module is a shared space with furniture that can accommodate all 75 students. There you can conduct lessons, play or relax. All non-relocatable furniture is designed by JKMM: it makes up most of the few bright spots in the interior. The rest of the furniture is mostly made by the Finnish firms Nikari, Wood, Artek and Martela.
Open engineering systems of ventilation, heating, etc. give a somewhat industrial look to the interior: they serve as a visual aid on the functioning of a modern building. Glass windows in the inner walls of classrooms and utility rooms allow children to follow what is happening inside.
In the building of the first stage, there are premises for a nursery and a kindergarten, a sports area and a canteen. In the second stage, the main cafeteria, an assembly hall and a library, training rooms are planned.
The school is included in the "Percentage on Art" program (meaning the percentage of the project budget), so the painting "Play of Shadows" by the artist Heli Hiltunen appeared in the building, and one more piece will decorate the building of the second stage.
