PROJECTS
The wood for the trees – from a modest school to a work of art
A modest school building in the deep forests of Värmland , Sweden , has been transformed into a work of art .
By Kelly-Ann Prinsloo | All images courtesy of Åke E : son Lindman
Bornstein Lyckefors Architects has transformed a modest school building in the deep forests of Värmland , Sweden , into a public museum celebrating the slash-burn agricultural Finns who settled in the very same forests in the early 1600s .
By acknowledging the qualities of the original building , resources could be used to address communicative challenges stressed by the client . An outer facade was erected , signalling the new purpose of the building . Conceived as a wooden palisade this new layer defines an envelope within which the museum can continue to expand , converting class rooms into new exhibition spaces as additional funds are raised .
In 2013 , Värmland ' s Museum decided to invest in new premises for its branch Torsby Finnskogscentrum . Commissioned to tell the story of the Finns who settled in the forests of Värmland , Sweden , the museum saw an increased relevance in this story , relating it to today ' s narrative of global migration . Having previously shared facilities with other institutions they looked forward to having a building of their own . An old elementary school was found in Lekvattnet in the heart of the old Finn territory , and Bornstein Lyckefors Architects was involved to find a strategy for its physical transformation .
The Torsby Finnskogscentrum project by Bornstein Lyckefors Arkitekter was announced as the winner of the WAN Adaptive Reuse Award .
The architects based in Gothenburg , Sweden put emphasis on narrative qualities in strategic , poetic and communicative architecture . They are currently running against David Adjaye , Rex , Guggenheim Helsinki along with another two projects as finalists in WAN Future Projects Award .
The architects based in Gothenburg , Sweden put emphasis on narrative qualities in strategic , poetic and communicative architecture .
28 APRIL / MAY 2017 //