The city of Kongsberg is renowned for its history in the natural sciences and its application in heavy industry.
The natural sciences are still the heart of Kongsberg, as the city continues to thrive in the field of high-tech subsea and space exploration, and world-class optics. DRMA won the task of building a new school and gymnasium to support the city's youth and legacy.
A school in Kongsberg – a city built on breaking new ground through knowledge – must be a place of ambition. A place where the natural sciences are brought together for the greater good. So, we built the world’s most environmentally friendly school!
A state-of-the-art school where the wood comes from local producers, a smart net system controls the energy, hydro storage will capture vast amounts of energy, a unique-tech greenhouse is being used as an advanced pedagogical tool for education on how to grow a sustainable future, among other green solutions.
What we also did was to add a healthy amount of magic to the building. The magic of science is something a kid needs to experience first-hand. Experience comes before reading, studying and understanding – it is what sparks the curiosity that creates the ambition and desire to understand. When you experience photosynthesis in real time, when the wall emits bubbles, when the park is based on DNA, you become curious and then you want to learn more.
The school has won numerous awards, but more than anything else, our pride comes from the fact that it is a school that really works. A school that is exactly the framework the youth of Kongsberg needs, to become the thinkers of tomorrow.
The school could become one of the first schools in the world with hydrogen storage, converting solar energy into hydrogen during the summer and storing it for energy production in the winter. The school has already received a national climate award and recently Kongsberg's architecture award.
