BIG nestles 'glasir' college into the undulating landscape of the faroe islands

bjarke ingels group / BIG unveils the latest images of their completed educational project situated amidst the faroe islands‘ rolling landscape. located in the country’s capital of tórshavn, ‘glasir’ college benefits from an elevated position, gaining views over the city below and out to sea. with a program combining the faroe islands’ gymnasium, tórshavn technical college and business college, the building caters for over 1,750 students, teachers and staff.

all images © rasmus hjortshoj

due to the varying functions of the building, the overall form of ‘glasir’ is designed by BIG to convey these different requirements and identities. the concept behind the architectural expression has been conceived as a stack of five individual levels. the levels wrap around a central courtyard, evoking the image of a whirlpool, with the functions radiating off a central social space. the five levels consist of one for each of the three institutions, one for food and faculty, and one for physical exercise and gatherings.

the large central courtyard is one of the main features of the overall design and it’s stepped terraces mirror the natural landscape outside. greeting people as they access the college, the circular space acts as a gathering point across all floor levels and functions. at 105ft (32m) in diameter, this atrium provides a generously sized place for a number of different uses such as group meetings, social events and dining, as well as auditorium seating for larger events or announcements.

the interior material palette of ‘glasir’ is characterized by the use of stone, cast concrete and wood, resulting in a natural and muted aesthetic. externally, the building is expressed in glass and aluminum, highlighting the circular, sculptural form and creating a bold image within the scenic faroese backdrop. seen from outside, the exterior glass façades are mounted in a sawtooth shingle that allow the straight elements to form a soft circular shape and blend into the natural surroundings. in addition, grass has been planted on the rooftops which will slowly grow, allowing ‘glasir’ to eventually blend into the landscape.

UPDATE: this project has been shortlisted in the ‘completed buildings – higher education and research’ category at the 2019 world architecture festival.

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project info:

project name: ‘glasir’ – tórshavn college

project location: tórshavn, faroe islands

program: education

architect: BIG / bjarke ingels group

partners-in-charge: bjarke ingels, finn nørkjær
project architect: ole elkjær larsen, høgni laksáfoss
team: david zahle, boris peianov, camilla luise de andrade stadler, camille crepin, christian alvarez, claudio moretti, claus rytter bruun de neergaard, dag præstegaard, daniel pihl, dennis rasmussen, edouard boisse, elisha nathoo, enea michelesio, eskild nordbud, eskild schack pedersen, ewelina moszczynska, frederik lyng, gaetan brunet, goda luksaite, greta krenciute, henrik kania, ioana fartadi scurtu, jakob lange, jakob teglgård hansen, jan besikov, jan kudlicka, jeppe ecklon, jesper boye andersen, ji-young yoon, johan cool, kamilla heskje, kari-ann petersen, katarzyna stachura, katerina joannides, kim christensen, krista meskanen, kristoffer negendahl, laura youf, long zuo, maria teresa fernandez rojo, martin cajade, michael schønemann jensen, mikkel marcker stubgaard, nanna gyldholm møller, niklas rausch, nobert nadudvari, oana simionescu, ole dau mortensen, pawel bussold, richard burns, richard howis, rune hansen, sabine kokina, simonas petrakas, sofia sofianou, stefan plugaru, takumi iwasawa, tiago sá, tobias hjortdal, tommy bjørnstrup, tore banke, victor bejenaru, xiao xuan lu

status: completed

area: 206,667 ft2 (19200 m2)

client: mentamalaradid (ministry of culture) / landsverk

collaborators: fuglark, lemming & eriksson, rosan bosch, samal johannesen, martin e. leo sp/f, kj elrad radgevandi verkfroendingar

photography: rasmus hjortshoj