Kyrkfjärden School

Situated along the riverbank in historic Inkoo, opposite the medieval stone church, Kyrkfjärden School harmonizes with its context through scale and material expression. The building across two floors includes different sized classrooms, learning spaces, a central kitchen, crafts rooms, and a sports hall with adaptable seating. Preserving old mature trees, the school sits on the slope, maintaining a modest presence toward the adjacent museum area. The large windows in the dining hall frame views to the site, while exposed timber surface interiors create warmth and offer a natural acoustic balance.

The design takes inspiration from the vernacular wooden architecture of the rural context, interpreting the form and detailing of traditional barns, re-contextualizing them within a contemporary educational building framework. The building’s placement respects the existing topography and trees, integrating the new school into the historic riverside setting. The program supports both functionality and social cohesion, as that was a crucial part of the scheme for different age groups. A double height dining hall becomes the central communal space, visually connecting to the spaces and landscape. The experience is guided by the basis of gaining natural light, connectivity of learning spaces, and the tactile use of wood. The use of CLT serves as both a finish and structure exposing the building's rhythm and its material logic, while acoustic treatments allow for calmness between floors. The design balances contextual sensitivity, pedagogical flexibility and resilient, sustainable design.

The two-story wooden school has a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structural system that is durable, warm, and has environmentally high-performance. The building is founded on pile foundations and has a ventilated concrete subfloor, the exterior and stairwell load-bearing walls are constructed from CLT components left largely exposed. The mid-level floor combines CLT and concrete on steel beams, and the roof construction is a combination of CLT slabs and timber trusses. Facades are composed of vertical cladding that are oil-painted, and a seam metal roof. Material selection was led by the principles of authenticity and longevity, emphasizing the tactile quality of wood and traditional methods of construction. Wood finishes that are exposed contribute warmth and resilience, and the hybrid structural system allows for fire protection, acoustic comfort, and cost-effectiveness. Regular precipitate surface oiling and indoor humidity control to ensure long-term sustainable maintenance.