Focus on the student – the joy of learning in everyday life
Seitsemän Veljeksen school is a new secondary school in Rajamäki, Nurmijärvi, with approximately 500 students. The school's teaching focuses on science and mathematics (LUMA), and the new building aims to support active, self-directed, and responsible learning.
The school's values – student-centeredness, well-being, responsibility, enthusiasm, and joy (OHVI) – form the basis for the entire project. The facilities had to support diverse learning methods, physical activity as part of the school day, and different study strategies.
Spaces that support learning in many ways
Seitsemän Veljeksen school is a new building, designed to move away from the traditional classroom model towards a more flexible and adaptable learning environment. In addition to classrooms, small group rooms, spaces suitable for differentiation, and various learning environments were designed to enable peaceful concentration and active work.
Ergonomics was taken into account in all workplaces, and the furniture solutions were designed to support the well-being of both students and staff in everyday school life.
Cooperation and participation as the starting point for design
The furniture procurement was carried out through early-stage competitive tendering. As a basis for the design, the municipality of Nurmijärvi organized workshops for school staff and students even be-fore the competitive tendering process. These provided valuable information about the users' needs and wishes.
Martela continued the design of the loose furniture in close cooperation with the client and the interior architect Milla Björk-Vartiainen (Jaakkola Architects). At a pop-up event organized for the staff, teach-ers actively participated in the development of the plans, and through discussion, the overall design was refined into a functionally and visually coherent whole.
A flexible, inspiring, and ergonomic learning environment
The end result is a school where the spaces can be adapted to different teaching situations and sup-port the joy of learning. The furniture enables small group work, movement, and differentiation as part of the school day.
Visually, Seitsemän Veljeksen school is distinctive and recognizable. The furniture supports the school's own identity and makes the spaces accessible, clear, and comfortable.
- Furniture design in collaboration with users and designers
- Furniture solutions suitable for learning environments
- Ergonomic and adaptable work solutions
- Furniture delivery and installation
“A solid foundation was built on genuine dialogue”
“The workshops held for school staff and students on behalf of the municipality prior to the competi-tive tendering process provided a solid foundation for the design of the loose furniture. The design process continued in smooth cooperation with Martela, the client, and the interior architect for the project. The end result is a visually and functionally coherent and distinctive learning environment with a strong identity of its own.”
— Heini Toivola, interior designer, Martela
Seitsemän Veljeksen School is an example of how user-centered design, participation, and adaptable furniture solutions create a learning environment that supports students' growth, well-being, and en-thusiasm—now and in the future.
