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Ordrup School: a better learning environment with natural ventilation, Denmark

The rebuilding of Ordrup School not only improved the air quality. The automatically controlled roof windows have created a comfortable indoor climate and an architecture that literally makes the teacher take his shoes off.

 

An indoor environment that promotes learning 

In the summer of 2015, the classrooms at Ordrup School's third floor were rebuilt following diligent efforts to improve the indoor climate.

Before the rebuilding, teachers and students complained about headaches and feeling tired. Former headmaster Jan Hansen recalls:
"When you are in such a state, you aren't very productive - and you are certainly not very teachable."

Teacher Michael Svensson experienced the problems first hand:
"Sometimes I simply asked the pupils to leave the classroom for a while," Svensson recalls, elaborating: 
"The pupils quickly lost their concentration. I myself got tired too"

School management contacted VELUX Denmark, partly because they knew the company had previously made a good rebuilding of a school in a northern municipality.

Considerations of working environment, energy consumption and economy all led to a rebuilding with installation of automatically controlled VELUX roof windows. 

The chosen solution not only solved the problems of poor indoor climate, it was also cheaper than mechanical ventilation. In addition, the rebuilding enlarged the class room windows and equipped them with small benches. 

The result is very satisfying. We see improvements in temperature and CO2 levels, and consequently a good learning environment,"

Tine R. Jensen, municipality engineer

Teacher Michael Svensson is happy too:
"The air feels better now, and you don't get that damp sensation anymore," he says, adding that the pupils have felt the benefits of the improved indoor climate too:
"In my experience, they are more calm and relaxed now."

He also appreciates the platforms beneath the enlarged windows:
"Sometimes, during lessons, I sit there and take my shoes off. Then I place my feet on the wall. That makes teaching more informal. School is already quite rigorous, so sometimes, I believe you need to do something out of the box."

Facts:

Ordrup School and the rebuilding Ordrup School is a state school located in the municipality of Gentofte, approximately 10 kilometres north of the Danish capital of Copenhagen.

The rebuilding included:

Installation of 27 VELUX Integra roof windows, distributed between five classrooms and a hall. 
Control pads in each of the classrooms.
Enlargement of around half of the windows, creating a small glass area beneath the roof window.
Installation of platforms with backrests in the sills of the enlarged windows.


Photos: Torben Eskerod

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