Grant to build Molde Cultural School - C.F. Møller. Photo: C.F. Møller
13.12.2013

Grant to build Molde Cultural School

The municipal council in the Norwegian town of Molde recently granted a sum of NOK 125 million to realise C.F. Møller's proposals for a new Molde Cultural School to accommodate about 1,300 pupils. Construction work will begin in the New Year and the school is expected to be finished by 2015.
Grant to build Molde Cultural School - C.F. Møller. Photo: C.F. Møller
Grant to build Molde Cultural School - C.F. Møller. Photo: C.F. Møller
The task assigned was to create perfect surroundings for Molde Kulturskole, which teaches music, drama, art, dance and creative writing. Proposals were also required to include facilities for Molde's college of further education. Two protected buildings at the heart of Molde close to the cathedral are the point of departure for the new school complex. The location looms large in the collective consciousness of the people here too, as the protected buildings were originally a prison and a municipal courthouse dating from about 1860-1870. The new complex, which will comprise a theatre, dance arena and black box as well as a number of rehearsal rooms, will be connected to the historical buildings by means of a low infill, the purpose of which will be to link the old with the new. The new building will be the main entrance to this fresh, creative educational environment. A moulded concrete ground floor will be built with two storeys on top. The top floors will have a lightweight, laminated wood façade. The solid foundation is a reference to the brick prison, while the transparent timber-clad upper part of the building echoes the architecture of the municipal courthouse. The plan includes a very simple, no-nonsense refurbishment of the protected buildings: The erstwhile prison including prison cells and a two-storey corridor with a gallery will house the reception area as well as tutors' and conference rooms. The most obvious change here will be the replacement of heavy steel cell doors with new ones made of glass. The former courtrooms will house several different functions, including a media library, conference rooms and a cloakroom. C.F. Møller proposes that the hall in this part of the building which is designated as a feature of special architectural and historical interest, is refurbished and hired out for municipal and privately-organised events.

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