There are exciting ideas and ambitious plans emerging in the small town of Slotsbjergby, South of Slagelse, Denmark. Here the school will be expanded with a day care center in the future and form a new local activity center inviting the local community in to create new synergies across age - evolving the school to a Life and Learning Center.

The merging of Slotsbjergby Day Care Center and Hashøj School is an ambitious project that is based on a unique tradition for close and holistic collaboration between the school and the day care center. Combined with a great deal of creativity and courage to think out of the box the steering commity, which includes the school leader, the head of the day care center and the municipal project leader, has used the opportunity to rethink the school as a service function. They have included other local user groups as residents of the nearby nursing home, home office entrepreneurs and the local church and gathered the area's activities at the school. By creating flexible surroundings that can be modified to different users, the local life will be intensified in an active house of life. At the same time, a higher architectural quality is attained. By renovating existing and double-programming activities, the vision is to build small but smart.

There is a unique opportunity to develope surroundings that can contribute to the emergence of new communities and synergies - or to strengthen relationships that already exist across generations. For this reason - in order to rethink the physical frames for community - WE has made an offer on the exciting task of developing the future Life and Learning Center Hashøj. Community is our focal point in both the architecture we create, our creative processes and the atmosphere in our office. Our approach to the task has been to create a significant landmark for Slotsbjergby that reflects the unique synergies that take place inside the building - full of life 24/7. By placing a new extension at the bottom of the schoolyard, the current scattered buildings can be connected by one continuous roof and can thereby be linked by an inner avenue. Along the corridor, the school and the day care functions are supplemented by new open flex rooms as beads on a string. Central to the new extension, a large and open common room will serve as a lobby and multifunctional "living room" with space for all, both old and young. The room brings together a wide range of key features and invites both children, staff and visitors inside. Here, in the heart of the building, there is room for the locals to meet up for a talk, for children to play, run and learn or for larger events such as concerts, markets and lectures.

WE Architecture is pre-qualified and have now handed in our offer as contractholder on the development of the Life and Learning Center.

From ordinary school to extraordinary activity center