Bottnarydsskolan

When planning the new school, the challenge was clear: a relatively small site but with great responsibility. About 240 children will spend their days here, many of them bussed in from various locations. This required a structure that is intuitive from the very first step — clear entrances, smooth internal circulation, and a natural connection to the adjacent sports hall.

A sense of home on the schedule

The two buildings that make up the school and sports hall are designed to feel both new and familiar. We drew inspiration from the old 1950s school and the surrounding houses. Gabled roofs, brick, wood, and a scale the residents of Bottnaryd recognize. By breaking the buildings into smaller volumes, they become easier to comprehend — both from the outside and the inside. Corridors are shorter, pathways more legible, and daily life, hopefully, easier to grasp.

— We want the children to feel at home quickly. That’s why we worked with clear building volumes, fine, honest materials, and welcoming entrances. The reused brick is essential for the identity. It carries a story the students now get to continue.

David Christoffersson, project lead at Tengbom

The red brick around the school’s façade has its own story. It is reused, with variations and traces of its previous life that no newly manufactured façade could replicate. Together with the timber structure of the sports hall, it gives the school a warm, grounded personality. A building that changes with the light and the seasons.

Order with care

Inside, the same idea continues. It should feel safe, logical, and inviting. Students enter through two dedicated stairwells and reach their classroom wings without hassle. The spaces are flexible and ready to adapt to the pedagogy — not the other way around. As it should be.

The materials were chosen with care. Light plywood and ash give the rooms a warm stability, and each classroom wing has its own color scheme in deep, nature-inspired tones drawn from the ancient forest outside. Running in the hallways, wet mittens, eager backpacks — the surfaces here are made to withstand everyday life while dampening sound. A robust, warm foundation for learning and living.

Corridors are shorter, pathways more legible, and daily life easier

Art for the imagination

In the stairwells, materials take on another dimension. Artist Emma Löfström based her marquetry on the school’s plywood. The forest inspired the patterns and motifs. The idea is for the artwork to become a natural part of the children’s daily movement through the building. A quiet companion that tells of the place and also opens the door to imagination.

— For us, it was crucial that the school would naturally settle into Bottnaryd. Wood, brick, and solid materials create both calm and long-term sustainability. I like how the playful courtyard, the artwork in the stairwell, and the two building volumes together form a whole the children can make their own, says David.

As a testament to the thoughtful material choices and design, the school has been nominated for the Jönköping City Planning Award.