BIG's Marknagil Education Center Breaks Ground on Faroe Islands

It seems to be big groundbreaking week for Danish firms right now: yesterday we reported about schmidt hammer lassen architects kicking off construction of their enormous International Criminal Court campus in The Hague, The Netherlands, and now we're also hearing of BIG breaking ground on the Marknagil Education Center—soon to become the biggest building on the Faroe Islands. Together with local architects Fuglark and a team of consultants, BIG had won the competition for the 19,200 sqm / 206,667 sq ft educational facility back in 2009 (previously on Bustler).

Situated on a hillside in the outskirts of Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, the new Education Center will seek to establish synergies between the different educational programs placed within. Housing more than 1,200 students and 300 teachers, the center is the largest educational building project in the country’s history, combining Faroe Islands Gymnasium, Torshavns Technical College and Business College of Faroe Islands in one building.

Integrating the dramatically sloped landscape, the project is designed as a vortex, radiating out toward the surrounding environment while at the same time focusing inward on the school’s inner landscape for learning. The three schools under one roof create the synergetic effect of a vertical campus where at the school’s heart an open rotunda space creates a natural gathering point across floor levels and academic interests. As a functional sculpture formed by the schools internal needs the abundant surroundings of the Torshavn landscape provide a unique opportunity to shape the school from the inside out.

Project Details:

Name: Faroe Islands Education Center 
Client: Mentamalaradid (Ministry of Culture) / Landsverk 
Collaborators: Fuglark, Lemming & Eriksson, Samal Johannesen, Martin E. Leo SP/F, KJ Elrad Radgevandi Verkfroedingar 
Size: 19,200 m2

Partner‐In‐Charge: Bjarke Ingels
Project Leader: Finn Nørkjær
Project Architect:Ole Elkjaer Larsen
Team: Johan Cool, Ji-Young Yoon, Alessio Valmori, Alexandre Carpentier, Armen Menendian, Baptiste Blot, Camille Crepin, Christian Alvarez, Claudio Moretti, Daniel Pihl, David Zahle, Edouard Boisse, Elisha Nathoo, Enea Michelesio, Eskild Nordbud, Ewelina Moszczynska, Finn Nørkjær, Frederik Lyng, Gaetan Brunet, Goda Luksaite, Jakob Lange, Jakob Teglgård Hansen, Jan Besikov, Jan Kudlicka, Johan Cool, Kari-Ann Petersen, Krista Meskanen, Laura Youf, Long Zuo, Martin Cajade, Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard, Niklas Rausch, Oana Simionescu, Ole Elkjær-Larsen, Richard Howis, Takumi Iwasawa, Tiago Sá, Tobias Hjortdal, Xiao Xuan Lu.