Light and airy school gets inspiration from nature

Hallerna School’s design is inspired by the surrounding scenery and its hilly shapes. Light wood materials have been used to a large extent, and Troldtekt acoustic panels are part of the newly built school’s architecture.

North of Gothenburg in Sweden is the village of Hallerna in Stenungsund Municipality. Around 450 pupils from seventh to ninth grades have been given fantastic new learning facilities.

The pupils come from various schools up to sixth grade, relocating now to the newly built Hallerna School completed in 2023.

D Office architects designed the new school on behalf of Stenungsund Municipalit, which also includes a newly built sports hall. The school is located close to a residential area, and as the population in the municipality is growing, ensuring good educational facilities is essential.

The school has received Stenungsund Municipality’s Building Award 2023.

Inspiration from the hilly landscape

Hallerna School is located in a scenic, green, hilly setting surrounded by pine trees – which served as inspiration for the school’s architecture and choice of materials. In addition, energy-efficient solutions have been considered, as well as providing students with the best and most inspirational learning environments, with space to relax in breakout areas.

On the outside is a facade consisting of light wood and sheet metal, with a glass entrance. There are good outdoor facilities with hiking trails and an outdoor teaching room.

Inside, there are open and inviting rooms with windows all around the building, ensuring constant daylight and a direct view of the surrounding scenery. The interior design is contemporary, with the emphasis on quality and light, warm colours combined with the use of wood and Troldtekt acoustic ceilings in cement-bonded wood wool.

A characteristic room for the building, which has also become the natural meeting point for the school, is the oval, interior auditorium, where teachers and pupils can gather for lectures and various activities.

Troldtekt acoustic panels at school

To ensure good acoustics for teachers and pupils alike, Troldtekt acoustic panels were chosen for the ceilings in Hallerna School’s communal areas.

The more than a thousand square metres of Troldtekt acoustic panels – mainly painted white – were fitted on a visible T-rail system, which creates visual structure in the large ceiling surfaces and thus also contributes to room design.