The New Lagmansgården
Located in the natural landscape of Finland’s west coast, the project offers a safe and home-like environment for youth in need of intensive foster care and special-needs education. It was commissioned by state-owned Senate Properties and selected through an architectural competition in 2020.
The ensemble includes school and home-like residential buildings with 20 accommodation rooms across four units, alongside classrooms, recreational areas, a kitchen with dining hall, and administrative spaces. Designed around a central courtyard that opens toward the shoreline, the layout respects a century-old pine forest and encourages outdoor activity.
The buildings’ single-storey structure and wooden material palette aim to create a calm, therapeutic, and welcoming living and learning environment that supports recovery, growth, and community.
Architectural inspiration was drawn from Finnish Ostrobothnian building traditions, emphasising simplicity and integration with nature. The long eaves enhance indoor conditions, connect interior and exterior, and enable year-round outdoor activities. The façade cladding is a modern interpretation of traditional batten cladding. A light-coloured standing-seam metal roof conceals the building’s technical systems.
The buildings’ frames, façades, and interior surfaces are primarily made of wood. The main structural element is exposed CLT, cross-laminated timber, which was left visible wherever possible. In the residential buildings, timber-framed structures were also used.
Functionality, adaptability, and safety guided the interior design. Surfaces combine CLT and plywood to create a warm yet informal atmosphere, and furniture was selected for flexibility and durability. Interior colours reflect the surrounding forest. Both staff and students contributed to the design choices.
The school supports research and development by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, THL, contributing to the continuous improvement of residential care models. The spatial concept was developed through earlier pilot projects and further refined through this project’s insights.
Low carbon emissions and energy efficiency were prioritised throughout the project. The compact building form, geothermal heating, solar power, use of wood, and low construction-phase emissions contributed to Senate Properties’ lowest-carbon building project to date. The project also emphasised local expertise in construction.
