Napsu – School and sports hall

Napsu is a multifunctional building located in Rovaniemi, Northern Finland, that merges three existing schools and a variety of community activities. The building was realised through an alliance model, and we designed the new building serving as an extension to the existing Nivavaara school. In addition to basic education, Napsu and its grounds offer spaces for activities held by youth work, adult education, sports and cultural services, the church, and associations of the area. The spaces are designed with the possibility of round-the-clock use in mind, so that clubs, events and courses can be organized any day or time. Napsu is a healthy, versatile, and well designed environment for learning, hobbies, and sports.

Participatory and transparent decision making was crucial for the project as it ensured the building would fit the needs of its users as well and as long as possible. Users from kids to teachers, citizens, and associations were part of all phases of planning and building.