The SKiB Campus

The SKiB campus is a project initiated by the Pori Swedish Cultural Foundation. Completed in in 2025, this city centre scheme comprises the Kulturhuset Fiini new build alongside a 1960s red brick school house and the Rosa Huset from the 1930s, both of which have undergone a refurbishment.

Fiini’s bronze facade is the ideal complement to the red brick school building next door. The library here offers several quiet spots for reading at street level and the Fiini cafe has dual-aspect views of a play area outside. A series of spaces designed for secondary school students flank the tall light well above the cafe. Sounds from the cultural centre float gently upwards and blend into the hubbub made by the teenagers above.

The SKiB Campus commissioned by the Swedish Cultural Foundation is situated by a green park axis in a densely-built urban environment in central Pori. The ensemble entails two renovated buildings, a 1960s red brick school and the Rosa Huset built in the 1930s, as well as a new extension that houses the Kulturhuset Fiini cultural centre. The campus brings together learning for schoolchildren of various ages as well as cultural activities for the surrounding community, integrating them into a living whole with overlapping functions.

A blue wooden building and some utility buildings were torn down from the block to make room for the new construction, Fiini. This gave rise to an open and inviting environment that slots in as a balanced element of the cityscape.

The bronze facade that winds around the playground and connects to the hefty red-brick school building on the street corner will patinate and darken with age. The material choices for the new building are carefully considered, and the red, slightly rough surface of the brick is exceptionally beautiful upon a close glance. There is a whisper of the shape of the old blue wooden building in the new facade – a gentle reminder of what was lost in order to gain the new facilities.

The interior feels timelessly harmonious and surprising all at once. The library offers quiet reading spots by the windows, right by the street yet protected from the noise of the city. The Fiini café affords views in two directions in the yard, and, at times, customers can almost feel included in the hustle and bustle of children playing outside while sipping their coffees. The upper-secondary school facilities wrap around the café’s tall lightwell. The sounds of the cultural centre carry softly to the upper floors, mixing with the school day activities of the teenage students.

The campus entails interesting technical elements, such as the positioning of the school gym above ground level at the juncture of the buildings. The renovations have included insightful alterations that promote the versatile use of the facilities. The design and implementation have been completed to the highest standard.

The greatest yield of this newly appointed city block is in the combination of different functions: the ensemble makes you feel like you are part of a larger whole, allowing visitors and students to grow as members of a community with a chorus of voices.