Location: Copenhagen, Denmark.

Architect: Kant Arkitekter A/S.

KANT architects have won the competition to design TEC’s new upper secondary school campus in Lyngby, Denmark. The new high school, named TEC H.C. Ørsted Gymnasiet after the Danish scientist who discovered electromagnetism, will be an experimentarium, a technology and science playground for both students and teachers. The building is designed to adapt itself to the continuous transformation that characterises educational practices and ideals. The main architectural device in the new school is a stacked assembly of rounded, spatial volumes conveying a visual reference to electromagnetic coils. The coils, housing classrooms, labs and meeting rooms, constitute the building’s interior structure and are also manifested in the facade, coming together to form a holistic solution. The heart of the building is a striking triple-height main hall, which varies in character throughout the day, as daylight is refracted in various angles by the louvered surfaces. The specific placement of the coils on the different floors shapes learning environments, moving from a “dead-end” corridor system towards a both robust and flexible space. The material chosen for the lamellas covering the façade is a reference to the incredible discoveries made by H.C. Ørsted. The building is designed to inspire curiosity in the students on a daily basis as well as in visitors and passers-by who encounter the building. The technical high school is part of TEC (Technical Education Copenhagen) and is currently located at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Actual construction is scheduled to start in early 2019.