Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 6 of 36
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, ChairTimber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Exterior PhotographyTimber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeTimber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 5 of 36Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - More Images+ 31

  • Design Team: Antti Karsikas, Martti Karsikas, Ville-Pekka Ikola, Tuomas Niemelä, Kalle Vahtera
  • Structural Engineer: Suunnittelu Laukka, Heikki Ainasoja
  • Fire Consultant: Markku Kauriala
  • Construction Company: Rakennusliike Kuoma
  • Head Of Construction: Mauri Pulkkinen
  • Av Design: Teemu Karsikas, AV-Kolmio
  • Client's Coordinator: Markku Pääkkönen
  • City: Kuhmo
  • Country: Finland
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Text description provided by the architects. Tuupala elementary school and daycare center is the first CLT school building in Finland. Right around the time the design process started, Finland's first CLT factory was kicking off it's production. The factory is located in Kuhmo, thus making CLT a natural choice for the school's construction material.

The building is located between a large junior high school built in the 50's, and a small-scale museum area with historical timber buildings. The new elementary school's program is divided into three blocks of timber. With canopies and outdoor storage rooms the building connects different scales surrounding the building and creates small scaled, child-sized outdoor spaces.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Exterior Photography
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

Exterior architecture is amicable, straightforward and mundane – in a good sense of the word. Even though the basic quality of the architecture is modest, the aim was to create high-end architecture by means of detailing, materiality and coherent language of architecture throughout the building.

The most notable feature of the building is the load-bearing CLT-structure that reflects to the facade of the building as well: where there is CLT-panel, there is solid spruce siding on the facade. Naturally anodised sheets of aluminium and windows create the rythm of the composition filling the spaces between solid wood. Material palette is scanty, natural and honest both inside and out. Entrances are highlighted with colors.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Interior Photography, Facade
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

The school is arranged in a village-like composition, and this theme continues in the interior architecture as well, although the expression of this idea is a bit different inside. The classrooms and other strictly divided spaces are located at the perimeter of the blocks, forming a ”public plaza” between them. Plazas, though deep inside the building mass, get natural light from the roof lights. The ambiance is almost sacral. This is a result of our design philosophy in school buildings: the frame of the education needs to be quiet so that the kids and the activities of the school have room to bring it alive, without the excessive visual chaos it tends to become.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 34 of 36
1st floor plan
Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 24 of 36
© Mikko Auerniitty
Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 35 of 36
Ground floor plan
Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Interior Photography, Dining room, Table, Chair, Windows
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

Although divided into three parts, the building is not extravagant in terms of energy consumption. There are no actual corridors in the building – all the passages are functional, furnished spaces for informal studying.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 29 of 36
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

The most exceptional functional feature of the building is the sports hall which transforms to a chamber music venue. Kuhmo is internationally famous for it's Chamber Music Festival, and the sports hall was designed to serve as one of the venues. In terms of acoustics, these functions are somewhat contradictory: chamber music needs the echo, but when used for sports, there should be very little. The hall was designed acoustically to serve both. The concert acoustics was achieved by tilted ceiling and walls with sound reflection. For sports, the walls are covered by dampening textile blinds.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 21 of 36
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

Wood is the main material of the building both in construction and visible surfaces, often being the same. All of the wood used in CLT and facade panels are cut from the rapidly renewing forests nearby, making the building truly local. The fine, solid spruce CLT surfaces are left untreated and visible. The gluelam beams of the floors are visible in the lobbies. The slanted surfaces of the high lobbies are made of perforated birch plywood, and other ceilings of natural wood wool panels. Most of the fixtures and furniture is made of wood as well.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 31 of 36
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Being a massive wood construction, the building removes over 2700 tons of carbon off the athmosphere, equivalent to driving a car for 21 million kilometers. Ecology, sustainability and locality were key ideas in designing Tuupala Elementary School.

Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects  - Image 5 of 36
© Ville-Pekka Ikola

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Project location

Address:Peuranpolku 3, Kuhmo, Finland

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Timber School in Kuhmo / ALT Architects " 19 Oct 2018. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/904178/timber-school-in-kuhmo-alt-architects-plus-architecture-office-karsikas> ISSN 0719-8884

© Ville-Pekka Ikola

芬兰木屋学校 / ALT Architects + Architecture Office Karsikas

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