Designed as a village cluster embedded in a biodiverse landscape, a new school brings together learning, sports, culture and community in a nature-based and active local destination. Commissioned by the local administration, GRO is the largest construction project in the municipality's history and is planned to accommodate 800 pupils with supporting facilities for sports, culture and local associations. The design reimagines the large-scale school as a collection of smaller clusters, creating a learning environment that balances the intimacy of a village with the landscape as an active learning space.
The village structure creates recognizable clusters providing age-appropriate learning environments, while an inner central promenade brings together shared learning spaces, workshops, a library, café, multipurpose hall and communal sports facilities. Covered outdoor spaces and a network of experience paths extend the inner spaces into the landscape, creating a sequence of spaces for informal encounters, activities and learning.
Located at the edge of the existing city in a new development area, the project draws on the natural qualities of the adjacent river valley, integrating the existing landscape into a diverse mosaic of meadows, woodland, wetlands and gardens. The landscape extends between the buildings, giving direct access to outdoor learning environments and making nature an active part of the school's daily life.
Translating the village concept into a varied composition of low-rise buildings with distinctive roof profiles and a warm, tactile material palette, the winning design uses timber, reclaimed brick and exposed structural elements to create a coherent architectural language. Covered entrances, generous roof overhangs and direct access to outdoor spaces reinforce the relationship between buildings and landscape.
GRO also functions as a local community hub extending life beyond school hours. Together, the school and its public facilities establish a new cultural and social destination, bringing new residential areas, existing neighborhoods and the surrounding landscape into a shared urban framework.
Resource-conscious strategies suggest biobased and reused materials, a modular building strategy and the transformation of existing landscape structures. The masterplan allows future facilities to be added over time, with the landscape providing a continuous framework for the gradual development of the area.
The team is led by ADEPT in collaboration with Arkitektfirmaet Hovaldt, VITA Ingeniører, FLÅK and Gade & Mortensen Akustik.
Name: GRO / Type: Competition 1st prize / Program: Public school with community functions / Client: Rebild Municipality / Size: 13.000 m² / Location: Rebild DK / Year: Competition win 2026.
