Roskilde Technical School (RTS)
RTS will occupy a special location in the so called Musicon area in Roskilde, just outside Copenhagen. Roskilde Technical School is an educational institution with 3,000 students and 350 employees. Today the school is spread out on several locations in Roskilde and the new building will create a visionary, challenging and significant vision of how the school's various educational strands can co-exist. The competition includes master planning for the whole area, infrastructure, parking and outdoor activities. The new campus and Musicon will jointly exploit, support and strengthen the activities for the area. The new school has the potential to create a strong community with the school's various educational directions creating an attractive and exciting framework. RTS has enormous potential as an urban generator, bringing life to the area. The architecture acts as an interdisciplinary synergy in a stimulating and attractive environment, creating a fluid transition between the school and the pulsating life in the area. The organization of the building ensures that all the professional areas of RTS can be experienced as independent units connecting to the community and each created with individual identities. When entering the main entrance, you are greeted by fantastic views to the striking communal staircase which offers the opportunity to sit and relax, check emails on the laptop, staging lectures, events and concerts. Generally the common areas will be dedicated to dissemination and dialogue. RTS has a sustainable future-oriented profile, the specific materials in RTS is based on the concept that all materials and surfaces shall appear simple and robust, characterized by materials which will age beautifully throughout their lifetime. RTS has a raw look, both in the workshops, class rooms and common areas - a material position both adapting to function but also signifying the areas industrial past.
RTS is a low-energy building, the buildings total energy concept focuses on energy controlled ventilation, and daylight controlled lighting as well as effective exploration and protection of the sun. The building's sustainable profile aims to inspire and motivate students as well as employees to think and act appropriately in relation to the environment and sustainability.
The jury emphasized in their report: "The jury unanimously proposes this project as the winner, because it exemplary addresses and combine the desire for a iconographic building and for a school of the future placing emphasis on an understanding among students of different professional groups to work and interact together."
The new building covers 17,000 m². - Of which the first stage is 4,000 m² and will be ready in 2012.