Robust, accommodating and sensual architecture
Vitskøl Monastery is a historic building complex, beautifully located by Limfjorden. But it is also home to a group of young people enrolled in the TAMU special labour market training programme. The forest house (Skovhuset) and boarding school are both part of a new master plan for the area.
The students at TAMU Vitskøl eat their meals together in historic buildings, and some of the students are actually also doing their kitchen training there. Others help keeping the garden, which was established by the monks living at the monastery. There are also animals to be looked after and old buildings to be maintained.
The newly built Skovhuset houses a new café and farm shop where the students serve the tourists in the area. Opposite Skovhuset is a newly constructed boarding school which replaces a number of run-down buildings that were located a bit further away. The two new buildings have a common expression, clearly inspired by large tile roofs and farm buildings, such as old drying barns. Wood with clear and beautiful details is a key element in the architecture, which is both minimalistic and yet quite unique.
Friendly ambience
Wood is also used on many of the interior surfaces, either as veneer, painted or planed boards and as Troldtekt acoustic ceilings. Skovhuset boasts a vaulted ceiling, offering a beautiful and accommodating space. The acoustics is excellent thanks to the sound-absorbing ceiling panels and the general shape of the room.
The interior design of the café offers many fine sensory-appealing details. The large windows provide a nice, framed view of the green surroundings and the vibrant environment created by the students. The lighting is mainly from old refurbished ship and factory lamps.
The space between the boarding school’s four buildings has been turned into an indoor courtyard for activities. The building is also in red painted wood and dominant red roof surfaces. The students have their own room with en-suite bathroom with access to a porch that is sheltered by the roof. One wing is reserved for joint activities and offers a fitness room, a film lounge and gaming activities.
In the evenings, students take turns serving coffee for each other in the living room which is furnished with benches, chairs and tables by the small kitchenette. The main central space has a vaulted ceiling, while the rooms have flat ceilings, all fitted with Troldtekt in the communal areas, including the walkways. The ceilings are white and with the sharp K0-U bevelled edge which offers a stringent expression that is consistent with the other precise and expressive looks of the building.
