Parkskolan is right in the middle of town, but it’s been a while since anyone studied there. Nevertheless, its front steps still hold powerful symbolic value for Ängelholm’s students, who emerge from graduation ceremonies every year to descend these steps and take their place in the adult world.

“Throughout our work on the proposal, the Park School has played a central role in allowing us to create a cohesive whole and strengthen the existing urban environment,” says Gustaf Wennerberg, an architect at Wingårdh. “We want to preserve the old school building and at the same time open things up and make the area more accessible for the people of Ängelholm.”

In Wingårdh’s scheme, the south wing of the Park School is demolished and replaced by a new residential building. The new building has the same height and roofline as the school, and its long, lobed façade on Lärkgatan enhances the human-scale character of the street. The area links the adjacent park together with the old school while adding more than sixty new units of housing.

The vision is for the entire block to become a symbol for exemplary mixed-use development and a green link to Rönne Creek. The project strives to add density to the area while turning the City Park and the Park School into the beating green heart of Ängelholm.

“It’s going to be fantastic to get to play a role in developing the urban environment in Ängelholm,” says Gert Wingårdh. “Our proposal is about adding new housing, but at the same time it’s carefully adapted to how the place looks today. The whole block is going to take on a more urban character.”

The jury’s statement:

The "Parkskolan" proposal is well adapted to the site and gives the block a more urban character, its perimeter more clearly felt than today. It also takes into account the diverse attributes of the surrounding streets, thereby achieving a satisfying whole. It incorporates the City Park, making the preserved portion of Parkskolan more inviting. The design of the new construction has a distinctive character that looks to the future while showing respect and deference for the architecture of Parkskolan in terms of massing, detailing, and the choice of materials.