Rethinking inland-island education
Village Schools as a Catalyst for Rural Development in Norrland
Architecture Master Thesis
Abstract
With current state policies adapted to urbanisation, this thesis identifies the opportunities and challenges of life in rural areas in northern Sweden. One such challenge is the absence of schools within an adequate distance. The following research provides a proposal for a new type of village school aiming to relocate young families to the countryside as a strategy to even out the current economical and spatial inequalities.
The project is exploring the idea of a site-specific village school on the island Holmön to provide a vital space for future generations.
Interconnected issues
Certain preconditions and structural difficulties might act as deterrent for in-migration to the island. Let us take a closer look.
Overview of interconnected issues on Holmön
Holmön is not connected to the municipal water network and is regularly running out of drinking water due to the considerable amount of tourists and festival attendees staying on the island in the summer.
Water issue on Holmön
As a consequence, no building permits for construction on Holmön are currently granted. This affects permanent residents, summer guests, as well as tourists, and has inevitably led to a housing shortage.
Housing crisis
Additionally, the low number of permanent residents has a negative impact on the technical and social infrastructure due to high maintaining costs — and resulted in the closure of the local school.
Lack of infrastructure
The overall lack of infrastructure interferes with the islanders’ lives on a daily basis. The adverse trend occurring on the remote island is comparable to the phenomenon of dismantlement of infrastructure and of depopulation in the Swedish inland, Holmön can thus serve as a case study for the negative development.
Design proposal
The new village school is a hybrid of functions and houses spaces for educational purposes, social interaction, as well as spaces for the development of the village. It is leaning on the aesthetic of vernacular architecture and responds to wind, sunlight and lastly precipitation by making use of the multiple roofs through rainwater and snow collection to alleviate the island’s water shortage.
Section cut of the village school
