School and Cultural Center Kaarre
A community center combines culture and learning
The Kaarre School and Cultural Centre is located in the village of Ivalo on the banks of the Ivalo River. The new school accommodates around 700 learners from preschool to upper secondary school. The School and Cultural Centre Kaarre hosts film and performance art screenings, conferences and other events. In addition, the building houses the services of the central kitchen of the municipality of Inari.
Studies in the school take place in three Sámi languages and Finnish. Throughout the construction of the new school, the old school continued to operate, which limited the placement of the building on the plot and posed a further challenge to the contractor during the construction period.
The orientation points for the design of the school and cultural center Kaarre were given by the culture of Northern Lapland, the Sámi culture, the valuable construction site and the building's status as a cultural center in the municipal center set.
Project information
Pedagogy and experiences under the same roof
The building's handsome entrance and lobby spaces create the character of the Kaarre House of Culture. The spacious lobby opens towards the Ivalojoki River and serves as a dining area during the school day, and in the evenings, the space is converted to house public events. The lobby can be used as a cultural and meeting space in a variety of ways, but the 170-seat auditorium built in connection with the lobby serves as an actual arena for film and performance art.
The learning spaces are arranged in learning enclosures around the lobby. The architecture has been harnessed to promote diverse learning, team teaching and natural interaction across age groups in accordance with the curriculum. During the planning phase, the school's pedagogical operating culture was developed in close cooperation with a pedagogical planner. The school has comprehensive facilities for arts and crafts subjects, which are also used by the adult education center. Over time, the oxidizing steel plate of the facade and the greying pine board will blend the building to the pine trees on the banks of the Ivalojoki River.
