Municipality of Laukaa in central Finland, 25 minutes northeast from Jyväskylä, strives to be a forerunner in developing ecological school design. Satavuo school is said to be the first eco-school in Finland: “a school for 100 students for 100 years”. Ecological awareness is the guiding principle not only of the building itself but also in pedagogical thinking and day to day practices of the school. Electronic teaching materials are used as much as possible. Part of the electricity is produced by solar panels. Heating operates with renewable bioenergy produced in Finland and in the future the school transportation is using biogas. Food is provided by local suppliers and even the curtains were ordered from a local artisan.

The construction of Satavuo School and daycare centre was completed in 2018. The principal designer of the building was Tero Wéman from Arkkitehtipalvelu. The building consists of a primary school grades 1-6 and a daycare centre.

The building is divided into three individual blocks according to the main functions. The school and the day-care centre occupy the largest unit, the gymnasium, the technical and visual arts classes are in the second unit, and the administration, kitchen, and utility facilities are in the third. The school is built of solid wood using CLT-elements. It has a modular structure so that different parts of the building share the same scale and dimensions. This solution makes the building more flexible. It can be for instance expanded just by adding new modules, which makes different adjustments and functional changes easier make. In addition to all this technical advancement, the building manages to make a cheerful and inviting impression.

Text: Petteri Kummala