Their joint competition submission, entitled Tight Together, focuses on social sustainability and a vision for the school of the future as an open and welcoming environment. Education is built on the exchange between people, and learning environments need to support that exchange. A school environment must therefore promote security, stimulation, and health. The design provides areas for both activity and recreation. It takes advantage of Lund’s many green areas, with a central park for studies, breaks, and lunch—a big green south-facing schoolyard for everyone. “We have tried to design the school from the inside out—and create familiar and safe spaces in each of the different parts at the same time we allow the school to meet the city and not become introverted,” says Joakim Lyth, the Managing Director for Wingårdh’s Malmö office.

The vision for Hedda Andersson Secondary School is rooted in the larger story of Lund’s history as a center of learning. For thousands of students it will be a gateway to the future and to continued study.

“We look forward to contributing to the development of Hedda Anderson Secondary School,” says Danish Architect Anders Tyrrestrup of AART Architects. “With our experience designing educational buildings throughout the Nordic region, we can contribute a deep professionalism and strong commitment—with a clear goal of creating an open and inviting secondary school that is a joy for students, teachers, and, more broadly speaking, the city of Lund.”

The school building is made up of four interconnected units, one for each degree program. They are linked together vertically by open atriums and woven together further by the shared spaces on the ground floor. These include the reception, café, library, administrative offices, dining hall, and auditorium, all gathered together along an open street—the heart of the school. The building is designed to allow each secondary degree program to express its own identity at the same time that it also promotes a shared sense of community.

The design of the exterior is based on Lund’s long tradition of university buildings and schools made of brick. It is a sustainable material, from a long-term perspective, and the red color resonates with the buildings in the surrounding area.

“The school building develops the city’s downtown character and expands it westward,” says Gert Wingårdh, the principal architect at Wingårdh. “Our ambition has been to create a meaningful encounter between the school and the surrounding city, an open building in which society and school can meet.”

Wingårdh Architects has prior experience creating environments for learning, including Ale Secondary School, Mimers Hus Secondary School in Kungälv, the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack), and Aranäs Secondary School in Kungsbacka, which was awarded the prestigious Kasper Salin Prize. The Hedda Andersson project will be a collaboration with AART Architects, whose previous work includes the Viktoria School in Skara, the VUC South educational center in Haderslev, and the Musholm recreation center in Korsør. The competition submission was developed in collaboration with the landscape architecture firm of Bogl.

Construction on the Hedda Andersson Secondary School is expected to begin in 2020 and be completed in 2022. For questions, call Klara Grape at 010 - 788 11 19 or email klara.grape@wingardhs.se.