Imaginative dolphins show the way to Karlskrona's cultural school

An old wooden gate with scaly dolphins leads into Karlskrona's new cultural school and the wonderful world of culture. Construction of the school designed by FOJAB is now nearing completion.

- "Culture is a gateway to the outside world and unique experiences. The design of the new cultural school aims to meet and activate the city, to let the journey and adventure of culture take place in the varied urban spaces that the new buildings create, says Stefan Johansson, responsible architect at FOJAB.

The new building will replace the current premises which are not fit for purpose. The new school will include halls for choir, orchestra, dance and theater, a recording studio, classrooms, ensemble rooms, staff rooms and recreation rooms. FOJAB won the design assignment together with acoustic consultants Brekke & Strand and is also responsible for the design of the outdoor environment.

The school is being built in a sensitive cultural environment in the part of Karlskrona that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The new building fits into the urban fabric and forms an ensemble with an office building and an 18th-century farm, Palanderska gården, which will be converted to also become part of the cultural school. The older layers also include the imaginative Dolphin Gate.

The material palette is drawn from buildings in the immediate vicinity of the school that are typical of the site: fake red wood, granite and sheet metal.

The school building is designed as four clearly legible volumes that vary in scale, height and width. A fifth 'space' is created between the volumes - a magical courtyard for play and fun, but also for teaching and events.

To the south, a new city square is created, the entrance square of the cultural school. Here, the base of the building will become a welcoming staircase where you can sit down in the sun. It can also serve as a stage for various types of performances. The square is delimited by sunken rain beds in the form of an island landscape and with materials that allude to the archipelago landscape just outside.

Construction is planned to start this fall/winter.