Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Reykjavik
Mies van der Rohe Award 2013

Architects: Henning Larsen Architects, Studio Olafur Eliasson, Batteríid Architects
Text: Pálinkás Edit
Photos: HARPA

The eastern harbour of Reykjavik and the road connecting it to the sea has been renewed as part of a comprehensive project in the past few years. As part of this, Harpa Concert and Conference Centre was built on the coast and has evolved into the latest attraction of Island near the old harbour. In autumn 2013 it was awarded the Mies van der Rohe prize which goes to the best contemporary building in Europe. Separating from the dense fabric of the city, the concert centre stands right next to the coast with a powerful visual impact which makes it an iconic structure of the city. The complex contains four large halls. As a heavy asymmetrical formation, the volumes cover the ground-floor foyer evoking the atmosphere of the rocky coast of Iceland. Ths block-like appearance is in an exciting contrast with the irregularly undulating lanes of the facade created by more than a thousand 12szög shaped three-dimensional glass prisms set in broken lines which render the lights of their environment much in the same way as a kaleidoscope does, breaking it up to create a variety of shades depending on daytime and light conditions. This vibrating facade was designed by Olafur Eliason, a Danish-Icelandic architect and landscape designer. His concept focusses on light and transparency, the dematerialization of static order. The facade made up of geometric components enters the building into a dialogue with the city and the surrounding landscape owing to the reflecting effects of its crystalline structure.

Architects: Henning Larsen Architects, Batteriid Architects
Landscape architects: Landslag efh, Lisbeth Westergaard
Façade design and development: Olafur Eliasson
Engineers: Artec Consultants, Mannvit Engineers, Hnit Consulting Engineers, Efla Engineers, ArtEngineering, Ramboll
Acoustics: Artec
Contractor, design manager: IAV
Consultants: ASK Architects, Almenna Consulting Engineers, Verkis Consulting Engineers, Verkhönnun Engineers, Jasper Parrott, Vladimir Ashkenazy