School in Sweden invests in easy-to-maintain and colourful facades for new premises

An architectural challenge

Building an extension to link two existing buildings is not as easy as it might sound. Sandra Erlandsson, architect at LBE Arkitekt AB, explains: “It's always a challenge to link two existing buildings. In this case, the nursery school and the existing school building were from two different eras, so it was an architectural challenge to create an extension that stands out while blending in. We chose to design a contemporary building that does not resemble either of the old buildings, has the right look and feel and meets the requirements for a school environment. That's why Rockpanel was the perfect choice for the facades. “

“The municipality wanted a durable, long-lasting and easy-to-maintain school with facades that will stay beautiful over time”, she continues. “We opted for Rockpanel, because the facade panels are sustainable, recyclable and contain recycled materials. It is important to choose materials from a sustainability perspective and with Rockpanel, we had a sustainable and exciting material to work with. Moreover, we were able to play with the shape and colours of the panels, allowing us to create a beautiful and functional building.”

Exciting and smart material

The project was carried out by construction company Skanska, who was responsible for the actual construction of the school and the installation of the facade cladding. They were also involved in the selection and ordering of the colours. Jonathan Lönn, production manager at Skanska: “The municipality did not want an all-white building, but was looking for contrasts. In collaboration with the architects, we selected Rockpanel facade boards in five different colours. The majority of the building is white, but with splashes of red, grey, orange and other colours. It turned out great and we, and the client, are very happy with the end result. In addition, the facade boards are very easy to maintain and to replace should the need arise, which is perfect for school environments in particular.

“It is an exciting and smart material”, Sandra adds. “Which is good for both installers and architects. It is made from a lightweight material, which can easily be handled by installers.  And it is fun for us architects to be able to play around with shapes and colours. We wanted the main body of the building to be fairly neutral, with splashes of colour to create playfulness, encourage creativity and add depth and character. And with Rockpanel, we managed to do that.