Gjerdrum High School

:Gjerdrum High School 

Landscape Architect: Østengen & Bergo AS, landscape architects MNLA
Location: Gjerdrum, Norway
Architect: Kristin Jarmund Architects
Area: 56,000 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Rolf Estensen, Jiri Havran, Dagrun Agnethe Ødegaard

The landscape for this school was designed by Østengen & Bergo AS. The school is located in a gently sloping terrain 

towards the south west, with traces of past ravines. The building is located with its “back” to the north and opens against the sports facilities and the hills far away to the south. The schoolyard is developed around a central zone south of the building. To the west is built a garden formed as stylized ravines, linked to the building with wooden piers, including various activities. Along the south wall of the building is an activity area with basketball court, volleyball court, running track, jumping pits for long jump and table tennis. The area will also serve as a great 

gathering place for the school. In one of the ravines there is also a volleyball court.

There are several possibilities for outdoor classrooms; the inner courtyard is a quiet, shielded room, tribunes southwest of the school can take many students. The seating on the south wall of the building invites to sit down and rest, but can also be used as an outdoor classroom. In addition there are smaller gathering places with a few steps, so that facilities for teaching in both large and small groups are present. The ravine in the south has a sunbathing lawn, and nature trail leading to the arboretum with all the Norwegian trees. Each tree is marked with Norwegian and Latin name, height and life expectancy. On the asphalt there are painted geometric shapes for learning.

The hardscapes are mainly covered with asphalt. The courts are surrounded by a broad zone of concrete pavement. The ground cover under the balance play is black rubber asphalt. Curbs of granite separate the pavement and roadway. Edges of steel frame zones with concrete pavement and tighten up the lines in the ravine garden. The ravine shape is shaped by precise slopes of lawn, in front of bush fields with Malus sargentii, which assure spring blooming and autumn colors. Outside of the ravines the grass land are meadows. The trees are planted in groups. Car and bicycle parking has a lot of vegetation, both trees, shrubs and perennials. The outdoor areas are designed with accessibility for everyone.

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