Munkegaard School, Gentofte

One shouldn’t mess with success, they say. Munkegaard School in Gentofte is indeed a bona fide success and has been ever since Arne Jacobsen put the finishing touches on the design in 1957. The Danish educational system, however, has changed quite a bit since then and new ways of teaching demanded an update – this is where Dorte Mandrup came in with a renewed take on the famous courtyards in an underground scenario.

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The Munkegaard School was restored to its original details and modernized to accommodate interdisciplinary courses and differentiated teaching methods. The extension was designed to embrace interaction and diversity, and to allow students to learn from one another - formally and informally - by creating adaptable and flexible learning spaces.

The original school consists of repeated patterns of buildings and courtyards. Dorte Mandrup decided to let the new underground extension reproduce this theme, by establishing four large courtyards designed as crystal-like openings.

Munkegaard School, Gentofte
Munkegaard School, Gentofte
Munkegaard School, Gentofte
The extension was designed to embrace interaction and diversity and to allow students to learn from one another - formally and informally - by creating adaptable and flexible learning spaces.
Munkegaard School, Gentofte
Munkegaard School, Gentofte
Munkegaard School, Gentofte