Creating a Clear, Harmonious Architectural Synthesis
Copenhagen- based architectural firm 3XN has completed the Mälardalen University in Eskilstuna– a unifying house which offers educational facilities and workplaces for 4,000 students and 350 employees.
“The vision is to create an open and inspiring learning environment that encourages interaction between students and staff– across disciplines. We have strongly emphasized that the new educational building should have a gentle, but strong visual connection to the neighbouring public bath by
Paul Hedquist. By giving the new building a clean geometry and uniform surfaces, we have created clear references to the Scandinavian functionalist architecture of the public bath,” explains Kim Herforth Nielsen, Principal and Partner of 3XN.
By breaking the overall building volume into smaller units of varied height and size, the scale of the new building is adjusted to the modernistic bath, creating a clear and harmonious architectural synthesis between the new and the existing buildings. This division of the building volume also provides space for three public outdoor plazas that can be used for recreational purposes.
The bright façade consists of alternating open and closed sections. This variation makes the façade appear dynamic and ensures that daylight falls appropriately inside the building.
From Public Bath to Student Library
Internally, the new building connects to the public bath on the first to decks, creating a cohesive flow between the old and the new. The lower levels are completely open and connected so that the new and the old buildings are seen as one functional and spatial whole. The large volume of the main swimming pool is retained as the school library, and in addition— by locating the café and student house in the public bath— it becomes a unique and important social meeting place for the students.
A central atrium, double- height auditoriums, open study areas and inner courtyards create a building with good visual connections between the floors. Classrooms and lecture halls are located on
the lower three floors. In this way, students from all study programmes will be mixed, laying the foundation for good social relations across fields of study. The administrative offices are at the top of the building, where it is possible to create a more private working environment.
Facts: Mälardalen University ( abbreviated MDH) is one of Sweden’s large institutes of higher education. The University has over 13,000 students studying 51 programmes and 1,000 courses, and almost 900 faculty and staff. At MDH, the many study programmes on offer fall within four educational areas: economics, health and welfare, teacher education and engineering.
The vision is to create an open and inspiring learning environment that encourages interaction between students and staff– across disciplines. We have strongly emphasized that new educational building should have a gentle, but strong visual connection to the neighbouring listed public bath by Paul Hedquist.”
— KIM HERFORTH NIELSEN Principal and Partner of 3XN