The dilapidated, old school of Seløya has been born anew. After succeeding with design startup company Blafre, founders Ingrid and Remi decided to move from Oslo to Remi’s childhood paradise on the Helgeland-coast.
What turned out to be a formidable task awaited. An old school building, completed in 1954, was again to become a gathering point for locals and visitors alike. Ten years after the school finally closed its doors and was left to decay, following several earlier attempts at refurbishment, the time had come to restore the building to its former dignity.
This was accomplished by retaining and restoring as much as possible of the great original 1950s structure. Elements that had decayed beyond repair were removed, creating the space needed for renewal and adaptation to the buildings new functions.
The resurrected school has been given the name Skolo, and aims to serve as a cultural meeting space as well as a multifunctional locale. The old gymnasium now houses a coffee bar, shop and pizzeria, while the workshop has been repurposed for seminars, meetings and accommodations. The two classrooms have melded into a large studio apartment, while desks and blackboards have been replaced with furniture and interior design inspired by the 1950s, the decade when the school was built. The food service includes the areas finest pizza and the locally renowned Skolo-buns.
With schematics and pictures from the year of construction as inspiration, and funding from amongst other the Cultural Heritage Fund and Innovation Norway, the building exterior has been renewed. Simple adjustments adapts the building to its new function. The facades are partially scaled back, and partially transformed.
The original annex by the old main entrance has been replaced by a new volume, still serving the school. This is where the workshop, office spaces, the scullery and a technical room are located.
The main entrance has been moved to the building front, where a new vertical ties the building’s different levers together by a joint stairwell. The building’s new visage is a wooden construction in front of the new main entrance, which both catches the eye and provides shelter from the weather.
A new pavilion connects to this area, housing events ranging from small-scale concerts with food service to outdoor workshops. The coarse lumber is sourced from local pine and assembled by local craftsmen, highlighting Skolo’s strong ties to the local community.
The old school served as a natural gathering point in the local community, a function the new Skolo now aims to fulfill: as the coffee shop where one meets up, as an arena for small concerts and cultural events. As a place for culinary experience, as well as seminars and workshops. Skolo is becoming a vibrant and central part of the local isles community, with something to offer locals and visitors alike.
Client: Skolo – Remi Fagervik and Ingrid Erøy Fagervik
Team: Fredrik Asplin and Yashar Hanstad
