Rakkestad Culture School/

Rakkestad Culture School  is located in the center of Rakkestad next to the town hall and Cultural Center. The school is a result of a cooperation between two Norwegian architect firms, Fragment and Oslotre AS.

The school adapts to existing buildings on the square in height and shape, and relates to the axis from the road leading down to the main street. Together, the new and existing buildings complete the towns cultural square.

The ambition of Rakkestad Municipality is that all new public buildings will be made of wood, and the cultural school is an example of this. The building is made of wood or other natural materials in both exterior and interior, this also includes the chosen acoustic solutions.

The new culture school has an open and inviting glass facade towards the square, where the entrance area and the main activity room are located.

The facade consists of a profiled wooden cladding, divided into a pattern with a rhythm that follows the building’s other structuring principles. The windows and glass elements emphasize the same rhythm.

The building supplements the existing culture house with special rooms for teaching music, dance and arts.

The program and plans are organised such that the acoustic rooms form a ridge along the north and east side of the building, with the more open and flexible areas facing the square to the south and west. Service functions are gathered in a central core. The core acts as a room divider that allows movement to and from the rehearsal cells without disturbing the adjacent rooms where there might be ongoing arts classes or ballet lessons.

The ground floor contains acoustic (?) rooms for music, a common gathering room, workroom for dance & theater and ensemble rooms. Dance theatre and performance rooms have an elevated ceiling height of 4.8 m, while the height in the rest of the building is approx. 3m. The first floor is somewhat smaller than the ground floor and consists mainly of rehearsal cells and rooms for visual arts.

Rakkestad is a dedicated wooden municipality, and the new Cultural School, built on the most central site in the center of Rakkestad, appears as a wonderful wooden building with a high focus on detailing both in the façade and interior. The building’s form and technical solutions made it possible to achieve a cost-effective construction, while retaining a high quality in detailing.

• Client: Rakkestad kommune(municipality)
• Architecture: Oslotre AS & Fragment
• General contractor: Bekkevold AS
• Landscape Architecture: Nils Skaarer
• Engineering: Ny Struktur AS & Oslotre AS
• Geotechnical assessment: Norconsult Norway
• Foundation contractor: Morten Bråthen
• Acoustics consultants: Rambøll Norway
• Fire engineering: SWECO Norway AS
• HVAC engineer (Heating and ventilation engineering): LINK Arkitektur
• Electrical engineering: WSP Norway
• Timber construction manufacturer: Splitkon AS
• Ventilation and electrical contractor: Caverion Norge
• Plumbing contractors: Rørlegger`n Mysen
• Terrazzo: Respo terrazzo
• Lift supplier: KONE
• Roofing contractor: Paul Messa
• Painting contractor: Regnbuen Malemesterbedrift (avdeling Askim)
• Exterior panes and battons supplier: Stangeskovene
• Glass facade: Glassteam
• Landscaping and gardening contractor: Vidar Østre
• Timber isolation product supplier: Hunton
• Door automation supplier: Avarn Security Norge
• Photos: Kyrre Sundal