Description:
Friluftsskolen Open-Air School in Copenhagen, built in 1938, was designed with a focus on light, health, fresh air and proximity to nature. The design by the Danish architect Kaj Gottlob aimed to prevent the development of tuberculosis in children, reflecting health concerns of the period. The school was listed as a first-grade building in 1990 by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces due to its architectural and pedagogical significance. The restoration project for the building aimed to balance conservation values with the contemporary functional needs of a school for children with motor disabilities. The project was financed by various administrations at the Municipality of Copenhagen. Friluftsskolen was designed as a day school where sick or disabled children received auxiliary education, meals, rest, as well as medical care. The building is characterised by its ceramic tiles, linoleum and asphalt floors, veneered doors, plastered walls painted in colours inspired by Le Corbusier’s colour palette, glass facades and window systems that could be ingeniously opened and provide ventilation. Functions were clearly separated and grouped around a large inner courtyard: a south wing with six pavilion-like classrooms, – with the dormitory on the first floor; a north wing with rooms for health and hygiene; and, finally, to the east, a building for treatment and gymnastics. It is a masterpiece of functionalist school architecture. Though the school remained in use, the building needed renovation. Many of its historical details had been lost due to insufficient maintenance as well as some adaptations to meet new functions.