Rosan Bosch Studio was asked to design the Glasir – Tórshavn College as a unifying of separate schools in Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands.

With the merger of three youth programs, Glasir – Tórshavn College sets the framework for a school culture full of interdisciplinary meetings. In the new building, we have designed an activating learning environment aimed to develop the 21st century skills.

Open hubs (hubbur) on every floor offer the students differentiated learning spaces, where multiple classes can meet and work side by side. With long benches, twisting high tables, and movable seats, the interior is flexible and can quickly support shifts in work modes. The school’s basis rooms (stova) are organized according to typologies for learning that either support group work or focus the class’s concentration towards blackboard presentations.

With the design concept, we encourage students to navigate after their learning needs and offer teachers tools to teach with variation.

Throughout the school, the design activates the wide hallways by moving learning situations out on the shared common areas. The movement out towards the central city square creates social and interdisciplinary synergies, so science students can get practical insights from training carpenters, while hairdressing students can exchange craft techniques with students from the clothing line.

Glasir lays the foundation for how new generations in the Faroe Islands will gather and work together. The strategic learning space design creates vibrant venues where students want to stay throughout the day – across classes and disciplines.

Architect: Rosan Bosch Studio
Photography: Kim Wendt