"The Inari Sámi name Šielâ could be translated as a birth gift given to a newborn for protection."

Šielâ, a new school center, was the answer to the need to replace an old, 1960s school decommissioned due to indoor air problems. The approximately 165 pupils of the new comprehensive school study in Inari Sámi, North Sámi and Finnish languages, and the multilingual environment and annually varying class sizes posed special challenges to the design of the learning facilities.

The starting points for the design of Šielâ were found in the Sámi culture, the construction site on the banks of the Juutuanjoki River with its esteemed landscape, the slowly renewing soil of the Northern Lapland, and the long polar night. In addition to school functions, the building houses the health center of the wellbeing services county of Lapland.

 The building’s form, materials and details draw on duodji, the handicraft tradition of the Sámi culture. The three functional appendages articulate around a central space overlooking the Juutuanjoki river. Short distances between the parts and a clear spatial hierarchy make it easier to find your way around the building; the building feels appropriate in size even for the smaller learners. The natural materials and scale of the interior create a pleasant environment with a calm soundscape.

The challenges posed by the varying languages and class sizes were solved by designing versatile and adaptable learning spaces and by a careful consideration of the functionality of the spaces during a user-oriented design process.

The considered placement of the building made it possible to save the slow-growing pines on the plot. The greying wooden facades blend the building to its surroundings, as part of the river landscape.