Project Facts
- Location: Koprivnica
- Country: Croatia
- Year of Completion: 2008
- Client: Koprivnica Local Authority
- Architect: Studio Up Website
- Size:11 600 m2
- Pupils: 900
- Construction Sum:10.958.904,00 € [2007]
- School building Programme/ Initiative: N/A
Overview
At first glance Gymnasium 46'09'N-16'50'E looks like an extra-terrestrial spaceship that has just landed on the only available site big enough to accommodate it [which happens to be an athletics track]. Complete with the futuristic entrance ramp, the building has an iconic presence on the edge of a U.S. style housing estate suburb. It is these everyday surroundings that have led to such a bold design, providing a much needed visual and physical focus for young people in the area. The building houses a 2,000 seat sports and concert venue and a school, which by day provides a place of learning and by night, transforms into an entertainment arena. The exterior is a semi-transparent double-skin of polycarbonate, which lets ambient light in and out. At night the flashing coloured lights and dry ice from a rock concert inside spills out, adding to the intergalactic look of the building. The Gymnasium won the Emerging Architect Special mention Mies Van Der Rohe Award in 2009.
Themes
Integrated environmental design
The central arena and classrooms are naturally ventilated [in part due to the expense of air conditioning] through a series of grilles and flaps located in the upper wall and roof structure of the building. This is no mean feat for a venue that houses 2,000 people. The lightweight polycarbonate double skin benefits from solar gain in winter and provides a well-insulated surface.
Integrated flexibility for space and learning
The flexibility of the Gymnasium is inherent in its dual use as a school and a performance venue. It is easy to imagine young people finishing a school day in the classroom, undertaking afterschool activities or homework, then changing in time for an evening concert or sports event. The benefit of this is firstly in the quality of the facilities that are available to young people here, but also the importance of physically linking what could be considered learning environments and play environments, and thereby learning through play.
Integrated social and physical context
Whilst writing about the project the architects describe the building as one of a series of 'mega elements' or new public facilities within the town. In this sense the building is designed to sit above the landscape, to be a visible attraction, rather than sitting within the existing sub-urban situation.
New pedagogies and blended learning styles
The town of Koprivnica has one of the lowest number of college graduates in the country and therefore the main aim of the building was to try and change young people's attitude towards learning. In that sense the obviously trendy design approach to the building and its close links to sporting and entertainment arenas is designed to encourage young people to enjoy their learning to an extent that they continue with their studies. The school has not been up and running long enough to tell whether this intention has been fulfilled, but it will be useful to see whether such an overt strategy can succeed.
Sources
World Buildings Directory Website
Links
Mies Van Der Rohe Emerging Architect Special Mention Award 2009. Website
