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In 2018, the architecture firm HÄR! got the project Citadellgymnasiet from the city of Malmö. The reason was that the architecture firm had done several good projects that had been successful with the city in the past. We have had the opportunity to interview the architect Josef Lindh and the head of department, Mårten Belin, to find out more about Citadellgymnasiet, which has a conceptual connection to a city and is the first municipal high school that the city of Malmö has built in almost 70 years. The building was nominated for the Malmö City Planning Award 2024 and although it did not win it received an honorable mention.
Please tell us a little bit about the project and your work with Citadellgymnasiet.
Since a new a new municipal high school has not been built since the sixties, it was especially important to think through how the new high school would look like and be equipped for the future. A concept that followed throughout the project was that Citadellgymnasiet could stand together and with the same dignity as the other large high schools in Malmö. Josef and Mårten explain that they wanted to create a timeless expression that speaks both to Malmö’s history and its future.
Right from the start, the architect firm HÄR! knew that the wanted to build a traditional high school with top modern materials – they wanted high ceilings and large windows and classrooms. Furthermore, they tell us that they are proud of how Citadellgymnasiet has been built. “Today, when schools are built, there is a lot of block schedule and the space per student is shrinking. In this project, we have thought completely differently. Here, the premises are large and there must be space for every student”, Josef claims.
The place where Citadellgymnasiet is located is historic. There used to be an old industry there and then a school. Parts of it have been able to be reused, including a brick artwork from Signe Persson Melin. It has been preserved and has been a great inspiration for the design. The artwork has been given a special place in the new building’s foyer.
Were there any particular challenges with the project that stood out and how did you solve them?
One of the challenges was to divide the school into volumes – to get an integrated building where you can reach everything from a main entrance and still get an exciting play of volumes. “We tested many different concepts, and, in the end, it was solved quite easily, by letting the different parts have different eaves heights, be angled, shifted and thus detach themselves from each other”, Josef and Mårten demonstrate. There are outgrows at the entrance and the back to get more surface area on the ground floor, they further explain. It is a very long and narrow building to get the entire program onto the limited surface without the volume feeling like a long straight wall, which they say was challenging.
What is important to consider when building schools and was there anything interesting that emerged during the project?
When building and designing schools, it is important to think about the public space. As much as it is about education, it is about meeting new friends and maybe falling in love. It is equally important to consciously organize and design the public spaces. Architecture can contribute to an integrated and democratic school by creating the right conditions for people to meet. Furthermore, Mårten explains that “quite a lot changed in terms of volume along the way – but a concept that survived that we started talking about early on square – street – alley – has some kind of conceptual connection to a city.” Where everyone enters is the square, the main entrance, the café, and the library. Main corridors run like large streets to the classrooms. The smaller alleys go to, for example, the school nurse. The idea had a completely different form an expression during the way, but it was still helpful.
What is important to consider when choosing materials?
For several reasons, the old schools consist of roughly the same components, such as robust bricks, large windows, durable materials, and room volumes. This has also been considered during the construction of Citadellgymnasiet.
In conclusion, the traditional blends with the modern in Citadellgymnasiet. The architect firm HÄR! and the city of Malmö have thought about it in several ways – regarding construction, materials, sustainability, design and location. The result has been a top modern school that has a conceptual connection to a city and a traditional structure in a historic location.
SAPA Producer/customer: GlasLindberg.
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Architect: HÄR!
Project name: Citadellgymnasiet
Photographer: Lasse Olsson
