Location: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.

Architect: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.

Glasir is an integrated educational facility on the Faroe Islands, combining Faroe Islands Gymnasium, Tórshavn Technical College and the Business College of Faroe Islands into one building for over 1,750 students, teachers and staff. It aims to challenge existing disciplinary boundaries and increase the quality of education, generating synergies and harvesting efficiencies. It also serves as an incubator for future Faroese families, inspiring young couples and increasing the chance of their return after university. It is shaped by the internal needs of the students and teachers, with five individual levels that wrap around a central courtyard. Glasir is an education centre in a country with some of the coldest and darkest winters on Earth.

It is organized like a vortex, with each level opening up and the top levels radiating 30m / 100ft out towards the mountainous landscape. The round shape of the education centre is built up with concrete elements and stabilized with five stairwells. The main entrance is accessible from a dramatic bridge, and the large circular courtyard with terraced steps provides flexible spaces for group meetings, social events and dining. The visually exposed walkways allow for spontaneous meetings and increased exchanges. Glasir’s architecture accommodates a cascade of meeting points and increased social exchange for students and teachers.

Glasir is a multistory building with transparent skylights and a stepped topography. It is a reflection of the Faroese landscape, with stone, cast concrete and wood with different surface treatments. The inner façades between the classrooms and courtyard are coloured glass and glass and aluminium create a neutral background to the school’s sculptural design. The exterior glass façades are mounted in a sawtooth shingle, allowing the straight elements to form a soft circular shape and blend into the natural surroundings.