Dezeen promotion: Wulf Architekten has used Velux modular skylights to bring light into the atrium of a school in a forest in Weiterstadt, Germany.
The Stuttgart-based architectural firm replaced an old building at the Hessenwaldschule ? a cooperative school with 700 pupils ? with an educational space, lit by Velux skylights, which is open and provides a healthy learning environment.

"The best thing that you can do to make people feel healthy is to use the right materials and lots of light to create good spaces," said Alexander Vohl, partner at Wulf Architekten.
A three-storey atrium connects three lernhäusern, or learning houses, in rectangular pavilions. Each lernhäusern caters to different school departments and educational levels, with the central hall acting as a space for pupils to move easily between them all. Cooperative schools combine classroom-based learning with practical work experience, so flexibility is even more key.

Wood surfaces along the atrium and a terrazzo floor were chosen to reference the natural surroundings of the school, which is set in a forest. Perforated screens in the entryway mimic the effect of sunlight dappling through leaves.
Six long windows set into the roof, comprised of 84 Velux modular skylights, bathe the atrium in natural light and allow fresh air to circulate through the space.
Vohl, who describes them as "heaven strips", chose the skylights for their uniform finish, which creates an uninterrupted line when ...