The single-storey courtyard building defines the eastern edge of an ensemble of school buildings that has developed over the course of time. With its low-rise form and clear roofline, it mediates between the village and the school complex. The outcome of a competition, this design aimed from the start to create differentiated spaces that convey a sense of security and encourage play and to create a direct interplay of space, construction, and tactile expression. Instead of rammed earth the external walls are built of rammed hempcrete – a biologically based, but little tested material that insulates, is vapour permeable, and allows walls that consist of a single layer. It is carried by a timber frame made from local spruce that forms the character of the space-defining roof and the rooms in the interior. An internal courtyard, galleries beneath the roof, deep window reveals, and a variety of roofed outdoor areas create a world for play ideally suited to the needs of children. The building can be read as a gentle, contemporary continuation of critical regionalism.