A School Rooted in Its Surroundings

A School Rooted in Its Surroundings

In this project, NERD architects have created a thoughtfully designed space for Skolen ved Dybbølsbro - a new public school shaped by its surroundings and featuring our Workshop Lamp W3 in a custom Meatpacking District blue color as a key design element.

In the heart of Copenhagen’s White Meatpacking District, Skolen ved Dybbølsbro is a newly built public school that thoughtfully reflects the character of its surroundings. Designed by NERD architects, the school’s interior is shaped by the industrial and functionalist identity of the neighborhood, with a clear ambition to create a space that feels both robust, relevant, and rooted in place.

From the outset, the design team worked to translate the distinctive architectural features of the area - its whitewashed facades, bold blue details, and clean-lined functionality - into a coherent interior concept.

These visual cues are not just references but form the backbone of the school's spatial identity. Blue is used strategically throughout the building to mark special zones, aid orientation, and create clear visual anchors for students and staff.

The material palette is intentionally honest and tactile, balancing warmth with resilience. Spaces are designed to support daily life - to be used, moved through, played in, and learned in. The result is a calm, clear, and durable environment that accommodates the rhythm of everyday learning while offering a sense of architectural belonging.

Light plays a key role in the overall expression. Our Workshop Lamp W3, produced in Denmark, is used throughout the project, tying together different spaces with its iconic silhouette and timeless functionality.

For this project, the lamp was delivered in the custom color developed specifically to match the school's unique visual language - a vibrant blue that speaks directly to the surrounding district and highlights the school's architectural references.

The lamp becomes more than a light source, its a subtle but powerful connector between past and present, inside and outside.

Sustainability was a key ambition throughout this project. Rather than starting from scratch, the team worked with upcycled materials and existing design icons - including a series of original Copenhagen lamps, which were restored and repainted in the same blue color and updated with built-in LED modules.

These elements add depth, history and emotion to the interiors, transforming sustainability from a technical requirement into a sensorial and cultural layer to of the design.

For all the Workshop lamps, our integrated diffuser was chosen by the architects to provide the best possible light.

With a clear architectural concept and a strong connection to context, Skolen ved Dybbølsbro is more than a building - it's a learning landscape, tailored to the people who use it. It reflects the idea that sustainable and site-specific design can enhance both functionality and meaning. 


Designed by NERD Architects, this project is an example of architecture at the intersection of learning, place, and community. Known for their research-based approach, NERD created environments that support curiosity, social interaction, and long-term usability - always with the needs of people at heart.

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