Gadehave School

Client: Gadehave School, Area Renewal Høje-Taastrup
Our role: Engagement process, Placemaking, Designing and building
Location: Gadehave School, Høje-Taastrup, Denmark
Year: Aug 2016 - Jun 2017
Status: Completed

From the spring until early summer 2017, arki_lab worked in close collaboration with teachers and students at Gadehaveskolen to design and build an outdoor workshop. The objective was to transform a vacant outdoor space into an integrated part of the existing indoor workshops and invite locals to use the workshop after school hours. The space was inaugurated with a big opening of the new outdoor space, where the whole school and local area was invited.

Developing a contextual design
The outdoor workshop would be an extension of the existing indoor workshops that are used for crafts and design courses as well as a bike repair shop. In order to connect the outdoor space to the existing workshops, 4th and 5th grade students conducted interviews with different local stakeholders. This exercise also strengthened the students' democratic education and empathy skills.

Revitalization of a socially vulnerable area
Even though the workshop is built inside the school’s perimeters, the project is inscribed in a much larger context. The project is a part of Høje-Taastrup Municipality’s effort to revitalize the neighborhood. It's goal is to connect the school to it’s surrounding area, opening up the workshop space for locals. This allows the space to function as a catalyst for collaboration across different user groups, making it a vibrant and active space both during and after school hours.

Sustainability in process and final design
Involving the students created a sense of ownership towards the project, ensuring it's social sustainability. The final design was entirely constructed out of recycled materials, which increased the students awareness of sustainable processes and materials. Local suppliers, Junckers and Egerbyg A/S donated surplus materials. The final design consists of six islands with different furnitures that cater to various activities.

<< Back to Projects