Sweco wins award for design of preschool

Sweco’s architects in Malmö have been chosen for the Municipality of Vellinge’s 2009 Urban Design Award for their design of the Henriks Hage preschool in Höllviken.

The architects at Sweco in Malmö have designed the Henriks Hage preschool in the style of a classic southern Swedish farm with a modern expression in the details. One specific request from the client was that the preschool be equipped with an outdoor sleeping area. A wood-trellised path follows the outer edges of the courtyard and the sleeping area is protected by a lean-to roof of glass. The courtyard provides a serene, climate-shielded environment and has become something of a protected oasis when the winds come blowing across the plains.

The Urban Design Award is given every year to a recipient that has demonstrated excellence in building. The Municipality of Vellinge has honoured Sweco with the 2009 prize and motivates its choice as follows:

"The Henriks Hage preschool, with its farm-like design, establishes a clear and harmonious connection between the landscape around Kämpinge old town and the local built environment. With their graceful architecture, the buildings have been ingeniously interwoven into the cultural landscape. The choice of materials and colour scheme is based on the southern Swedish farmhouse tradition. Here we find white-washed stuccoed walls with barn-like doors in a new function, alongside well studied details that create contrasts in the design and materials. The preschool’s floor layout is both simple and rational, but at the same time offers exciting spatial experiences. The generous openable window sections provide sweeping views of the open countryside. The interior details are elegantly realised."

The people behind the project are architects Gunilla Wembe, Lena Borglund, Charlotta Öhlin and Lars Lindahl together with landscape architects Henrik Näsström and Lisa Torpel from Sweco.