The new sports hall and classrooms at Grevhagsskolan in Eksjö, Sweden, translate the town’s timber heritage into a contemporary civic facility. A solid timber structure and oxidized green slamfärg finish tie the building to the leafy river corridor and adjacent 1960s pavilion school, while a full-size court and 150-seat grandstand support everyday school use and community match play.
Grevhagsskolan Timber Sports Hall & Classrooms Technical Information
- Architects: White Arkitekter
- Location: Eksjö, Sweden
- Completion Year: 2023
- Photographs: © Kalle Sanner
Timber construction makes use of wood’s positive properties for the climate, environment, economy, social sustainability and health.
– Pia Eckerstein
Contextual Strategy: Wooden Town Legacy and Riverine Setting
Eksjö’s identity as a wooden town is acknowledged without mimicry. Rather than reproducing the red facades of the historic core, the building adopts an oxidized green slamfärg that aligns with the river’s vegetation and the light volumes of the neighboring 1960s pavilion school. Slamfärg, a traditional Swedish distemper-like paint, preserves the timber’s grain while allowing the cladding to breathe and weather, with a soft matte finish.
The program balances civic and educational roles. A regulation court and a 150-seat grandstand enable league play, yet the building remains in sync with the school campus’s daily rhythms. The plan and siting support continuous occupation throughout the day, serving physical education, after-school practice, and evening club activities without disrupting school circulation.
Interfaces between interior and exterior are handled with clarity so that the hall reads as an everyday resource rather than a detached venue. The entrance aligns movement from the schoolyard to the court, and outdoor gathering areas support pre- and post-activity use. This continuity reinforces the project’s position within the local social infrastructure, tying community access to the school’s spatial framework.
Program and Spatial Sequencing
A central entrance hall functions as the project’s social and organizational hinge. A broad stair with tiered seating supports informal assemblies, briefings before games, and decompression after training. From here, teams and classes are sorted efficiently to changing rooms and to the court, while the stair offers a vantage point back to the schoolyard.
Thresholds are deliberately sequenced. A canopy gathers arrivals and creates a sheltered pause, leading to the entrance hall where acoustics and scale mediate between the bustle of the yard and the larger playing volume. The route to the court is kept legible for equipment handling and team flow, minimizing cross-traffic and simplifying supervision during busy turnover periods.
Informal observation points are integrated around the entrance hall, enabling staff to oversee circulation and providing parents and peers with clear sightlines. These small-scale niches encourage short interactions without compromising the directness of the primary movement spine, keeping the main space focused on sport while adjacent areas support social use.
Timber Structure and Material Strategy
The building employs a solid timber system with glulam columns and beams paired with CLT floors. This choice consolidates structure, finish, and environmental agenda into a single material family, aligning the project with regional timber-building objectives and reducing reliance on carbon-intensive systems. Structural logic remains legible, with timber members reading as both load-bearing and spatially defining elements.
Spans are calibrated to accommodate the regulation court and integrated bleachers without resorting to competing structural hierarchies. The same timber language continues into the attached classrooms, preserving continuity between the athletic volume and the school’s teaching spaces. The result is a cohesive interior expression that avoids fragmentation between program zones.
Wood’s tactile and thermal characteristics support a civic program geared to frequent, long-duration use. The material’s capacity for carbon storage, its repairability, and its benign indoor presence are leveraged in an educational setting where material legibility carries pedagogical value. Durable surface assemblies prioritize longevity and ease of maintenance, ensuring the hall remains robust under varying community occupancy.
Envelope Articulation and Scale Mediation
Horizontally sawn timber cladding establishes a calm base layer, over which a system of vertical battens organizes the facades into measured bays. The battens echo the tradition of Swedish corner boxes, introducing depth and shadow that register changes in light and weather. Openings are set within this cadence so that windows and doors anchor the rhythm rather than disrupt it.
A consistent detail language links battens, roof brackets, and an integrated pergola or canopy into a single ordering system. This assemblage brings the tall volume down to the scale of the schoolyard, creating sheltered edges, covered waiting zones, and clear entry markers. The canopy mediates between the everyday height of children and the larger sports hall envelope, softening the transition at points of approach.
The oxidized green finish consolidates mass and context, allowing the building to sit with the riparian landscape while distinguishing it from the red houses of the old town. The articulated facade depth yields a readable proportion at multiple distances, from the spectator’s view across the court to a child’s eye at the pergola. Visual rhythm and shadow reinforce the building’s civic clarity without resorting to stylistic quotation.
About White Arkitekter
White Arkitekter is a multidisciplinary architecture practice based in Sweden, founded in 1951. The firm integrates sustainable principles with contextual sensitivity, aiming to create architecture that contributes positively to society. White emphasizes timber construction, equitable design, and environmental stewardship in both public and private projects across Scandinavia and internationally.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client: Eksjö kommunfastigheter
- Research references or publications: Rödfärgspriset 2024
