Nordic Ecolabel for childcare centre

The Regnskoven childcare centre in Bagsværd is one of the first Nordic Ecolabelled childcare institutions in Denmark and the second institution to be labelled under the scheme in the Municipality of Gladsaxe. Nordic Ecolabelled buildings are good for human health, the environment and the economy.

The new Regnskoven childcare institution is set among detached houses in Bagsværd, a suburb of Copenhagen. It has been designed as an elongated building with rooms overlooking the playground to the south. The building and the playground are designed for nursery children at one end and preschool children at the other. Skylights and solar panels are scattered across the roof, along with goldmoss stonecrop, peering down over the gutters.

The roof is an excellent example of the way in which the Nordic Ecolabel has been incorporated into the architecture as a whole as well as in the detailing. The labelling scheme entails a number of mandatory requirements which must be met, and includes a points system for approved materials. All wood must be certified, and Regnskoven is made of wood throughout, but wood also play a role in defining the identity of the building – inside and out.

Natural lighting is another important criteria, which is perfectly evident as you step inside. The daylight is carefully distributed by skylights in the corridor and the rooms, while the windows are a good mix of large sections to allow light to enter, and small windows at child height.

Healthy surfaces

The vertical plane of the building with its skylights and sloping roof surfaces has been accentuated through the use of Troldtekt acoustic panels on the ceilings and along the walls, ending with a horizontal wooden strip along the bottom edge. Troldtekt panels were chosen for their acoustic properties and soft textural wood look. Troldtekt is also a robust ceiling material.

Institutions certified in accordance with the Nordic Ecolabel scheme must comply with extremely strict requirements as regards the use of construction materials containing substances which may be harmful to the environment or to human health. Much care was therefore taken during construction to only use certified materials that emit no harmful substances. All furniture and furnishings are new and were chosen based on the same criteria. Moreover, the architects at the Municipality of Gladsaxe property office have been keen to create the best possible lighting conditions, and the solution comprises various types of fixtures producing high-quality illumination, while underscoring the character and different uses of the rooms.