Carefully considered, child-friendly building

Olympen Børnehus in Gladsaxe is yet another ambitious building for the municipality’s youngest citizens, where Nordic Swan Ecolabelling is the focal point for long-term material choices.

The institution, which can accommodate a total of eight groups of children, is well-situated in a neighbourhood hosting the city’s swimming pool, sports facilities and a mountain bike trail that has been re-established on the roof of the building. Towards the south and the open landscape, the building opens up with all rooms facing that direction. A large overhang provides shade and a covered outdoor area.

The facades facing the large playground area have a more complex expression, breaking up the building's scale into smaller units, while the wooden facades provide a calm homogeneity together with the sedum roof. 

BJERG Arkitektur, which designed the childcare institution in close collaboration with the Municipality of Gladsaxe's property office, is experienced in constructing wooden buildings and working with passive houses.nbsp;

Wood is a common theme throughout

The Municipality of Gladsaxe is leading the way with seven childcare institutions that are Nordic Swan Ecolabelled, an ecolabel that makes good sense when building for children. The overall focus is on sustainability, the environment and indoor climate. In practice, this means that the building is free from environmentally hazardous chemicals and has lower energy consumption, partly by designing the building in a way that optimises daylight. In general, daylight is of major importance for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as it affects the indoor climate in several ways.

In Olympen Børnehus, all ceilings and parts of the walls are clad in Troldtekt natural wood, which has good sound-absorbing properties. Troldtekt is registered in the Nordic Swan Ecolabel database of materials for use in Nordic Swan Ecolabelled construction.

Architect Helen Glindvad Kristensen from the Municipality of Gladsaxe explains that all materials, surfaces and fixtures have been carefully considered to achieve a building with good acoustics, durability and low maintenance. The pine wood frames and panels add warmth to the rooms, and will also develop a more authentic patina than painted ones.

Nordic Swan Ecolabelling also requires that all wood is environmentally certified. The choice of materials, colours and spatial treatment has created a calm and inviting children's environment with a pleasant cohesion between indoors and outdoors.