Police aspirants get a new acoustically optimized school in Vejle
Denmark has become a new police school richer. The 20,000 large education center in Vejle consists of approx. 9,500 square meters of new construction and two existing buildings that have undergone a renovation. Byggeriet has the Danish Building Authority as client with the National Police as customer.
Vejle's new police academy contains teaching facilities for both theoretical and practical teaching. In addition to classrooms and training rooms, the police students benefit from a large atrium with canteen and living areas. In addition, there are 100 rooms intended as accommodation facilities for police officers in training.
Like three pearls on a string
With the new police academy, a cohesive teaching environment has been created, where the new building is located in the middle. In the heart of the school you will find, among other things, the canteen and a large common room. All around are the renovated buildings, including the former nursing building and the existing warehouses:
- There has been a focus on creating a fully-fledged teaching environment based on the existing buildings and the new building, which lies like three pearls on a string - three different building types, linked by a north-south strip that connects the whole school functionally. Although the buildings are very different, coherence has been created by means of consistent facade materials and color choices, which provide an expressive common thread, says Johnny Lundbye, architect MAA at ERIK Architects, who has been a total consultant on the construction.
Acoustic ceilings improve learning
The police students are invited inside a training center, where the healthy teaching environment is put on the schedule. The building has good acoustics in mind, and it lifts the learning:
- There has been a focus on the ceilings, where we can really do something for the acoustics. That is why Vejle's new police academy has acoustically regulated ceilings from end to end. A wide palette of ceiling types has been chosen, each of which has been chosen based on the functions and requirements of the various rooms. This with a consistent design attitude, says Johnny Lundbye.
The choice of acoustic solution depends on the various functions
In the newly built part of the school, acoustic solutions from the acoustics manufacturer Rockfon have been installed. Various acoustic solutions have been chosen to support the school's many facilities and functions:
- In the school's common areas, Sonar X-boards with a hidden rail system have been installed, while in the teaching rooms, Sonar M-boards with a partially hidden rail system have been installed. The result is ceilings that combine acoustic benefits with a beautiful, cohesive look. In the training rooms, where the ceilings should be more robust and able to withstand ball games, impact-resistant boards have been used. Because echoes easily occur in training rooms, great emphasis has also been placed on the sound-absorbing properties, says Bo Jørgensen, project consultant at the acoustics manufacturer Rockfon.
Inside, the white color is pervasive, but it is broken in the school meeting rooms. Here, a sunny yellow color on both walls, floors and acoustically regulated ceilings gives the premises character and an element of wayfinding that leads the school's visitors on the right path.
Details, acoustics and expression in Vejle's new police academy have thus been considered. It will benefit future students when the school is scheduled to begin educational activities at the end of the year.
