Djäkneparken sports hall
We borrowed a piece of the sky
When the ground runs out, you have to think vertically. In Djäkneparken in Norrköping, we designed a sports hall for a site already full of activity. We thought: more surfaces, a better schoolyard, and a point of orientation in the city. Not an object in a park — even if it happens to be precisely that.
In the middle of the lush urban park, you find Djäkneparken School. Here, children balance play, lessons, and rest throughout the day. And this is where the new sports hall will be located. From the competition stage, our ambition was for the building to feel like a natural element of the schoolyard.
It was not only about adding a new function. Equally important was to build on the already vibrant place. To find thoughtful ways of creating new conditions for play and movement. The building would frame the street space, become part of the cityscape, and make the area more usable for more hours of the day.
“There was a clear idea that the sports hall should become a natural part of its surroundings. Not an object in the park, but something that belongs there”, says Joao Pereira, lead architect and office director at Tengbom in Linköping
Competition concept
In the competition proposal, we formulated the idea: a timber building with a sports hall, stands, and an active roof park that returned space to the city. After the win, the work continued and the idea was further developed.
The program was adapted to the school’s specific needs. The structure was adjusted. Together with the client and the city architect, we refined the design.
“After the competition, the real work begins. That is when the ideas must function in practice and hold all the way to built reality”.
Jonatan Svensson, architect
A significant change can be seen in the façade. The arches now open outward instead of terminating downward. This gives the building a calmer meeting with the street and a stronger connection to the adjacent buildings. In our competition proposal, we envisioned a timber structure. In the continued work, it was replaced by concrete — a change that emerged at the intersection of budget, technology, and feasibility.
“But several core ideas remain: how the building meets the ground, how the façade filters light, and how the building relates to the park’s green spaces”, explains Jonatan.
The content also changed. From a larger sports hall with stands, the hall was refined to meet the school’s needs. This affected both scale and use.
“This is the stage where the project truly lands. We need to be responsive to the site, the financial framework, and how the building will actually be used in everyday life. At the same time, we cannot lock ourselves into today’s solutions. How we use our buildings today will not look the same in 15 years”, says Joao Pereira.
Hold on to what carries
A crowning element
At every stage, as architects, we ask: what matters most here, and how do we arrive at a collective solution? For us, it was about holding on to what carries the project. The relationship to the site, movement through the building, and the connection between inside and outside.
“The roof park is a good example. It creates new open spaces in a dense urban environment and ensures that the building not only occupies land but also gives something back”, says Jonatan.
At the same time, the hall becomes something of a crowning element. It frames, orients, and activates the area.
Life on the roof
During the day, students move between the schoolyard and the hall. During lessons, the hall fills with bouncing balls and high energy. We also hope that some students stay a while after school — perhaps in the break areas facing the street.
On top of the roof, there is a world of its own, with a running track, play areas, and spaces for socializing. A perfect between-classes oasis.
Inside, the materials and structure reinforce the experience. The wood provides a warm and clear framing of the activity, while the large open spaces make it easy to adapt the hall to different uses.
The value of what is used
For us, the project and the architecture ultimately come down to what they add to everyday life. More space for movement. A better-functioning schoolyard. A place that is used every day — by students, teachers, and others moving through the area.
Djäkneparken sports hall is the result of many decisions, adjustments, and priorities. From competition proposal to completed building.
“It is very satisfying as an architect to see your vision realized. Not identical to the initial idea, but still true to what made it worth building”, concludes Joao Pereira.
The procurement of the contractor has now been completed, and the project is ready to move into the construction phase.
The original façades have strong character, bearing the kiln marks of their making. To carry the heritage forward while adding our own imprint, we chose, together with the City Planning Office, a red brick façade that ties together the old and the new.
Over the years, architects have extended the building — always with respect for the original. In the 1970s, architect Åke Ahlström (1918–2001) added a new southern wing. Then in 1976, a western wing took shape toward the northern part of Saltmätargatan. This extension brought in a modern auditorium and the technically advanced KAW lecture halls. Interestingly, Tengbom also designed this addition — now under the name Tengbom Architects, Sweden’s oldest architectural office and a direct continuation of the practice Ivar Tengbom founded in 1906. That the same office shaped both the original and its later development nearly a century apart says something rare. It shows how architecture can become a conversation across generations — built not just in brick and wood, but in ideas.
The facility includes modern, tailored spaces for various species, spacious classrooms, and a dedicated veterinary treatment room. Today, it houses hundreds of animals, including rodents, rabbits, birds, fish, snakes, lizards, turtles, snails, and spiders.
