Copper topped

Corrugated copper sheet tops Norwegian school

Credit: Ivan Brodey

Apparently it’s all conceived as a hilltop plateau, White Arkitekter’s secondary school in Strømmen, Norway. The lower level, with full-height glazing, is completely open plan and contains the library, workshops and studios; while the ‘introverted copper box’ above contains the classrooms. Clad in Aurubis Architectural’s Nordic Brown corrugated copper sheet, the firm says it was inspired by the town’s old riverside sawmills and heavy industries. Looks great, but the last time I saw school kids in Scandinavia being tucked away in dark boxes I was watching the compelling Swedish vampire flick ‘Let the Right One in’. And that didn’t end well for anyone.

RIBAJ Spec Design for Sustainability Webinar

With the latest figures showing practices’ profits falling, a roundtable in association with Autodesk looked at how architects can best bounce back and adapt to new situations

As profits fall, a roundtable looked at how architects can best bounce back and adapt to new situations

Invited to create riverside public art atop London’s massive new Super Sewer, Turner Prize-shortlisted Nathan Coley butted against a rules-based world at odds with his own – but creative differences have borne fruit

Invited to create public art atop London’s sewer system upgrade, Nathan Coley butted against a rules-based world – but differences have borne fruit

The restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral has been used to advance political and commercial agendas, but its true significance is as an exemplar for sustainable, craft-based construction, writes Paris-based architect Andrew Todd

Notre-Dame's restoration prompts some introspection about its true meaning to France,

Three outstanding extensions to Grade II-listed houses provide design inspiration and practical insights for architects looking to extend heritage buildings.

Design in the making