Icelandic Opera House by Arkitema and Arkthing

7/28/2019 Icelandic Opera House by Arkitema and Arkthing

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27 August 2008 |19 comments

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ArchitectsArkitemaof Denmark andArkthingof Iceland have won a competition to design the Icelandic Opera House

in Reykjavik.
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The 820 seat concert hall will be situated on Borgaholt hill, near the city's landmark the church of Kpavogs, in an

area supposedly inhabited by elves.


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The competition involved three teams of international architects presenting designs in collaboration with local

Icelandic firms.

The following is from Arkitema:

--

The national opera in Iceland aquires a new shining opera house with views to elf hill and the surrounding town.


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When building in Iceland up to the elf hill Borgarholt it demands a special in depth understanding of Icelands

history. A completely new opera house for the Icelandic national opera deserves a building with presence and grace, a

new cultural landmark for Reykjavik.

Arkitema andArkthings winning proposal takes its concept based on these premises and has created a building both

to the Opera, the elves, the capitals residents and the town of Kopavogur in Reykjavik.


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A new opera house that identifies itself to the whole town

The Icelandic Opera is situated at a relatively high point in the town along the Borgaholt hill, where according to

Icelandic folklore elves live. The hill is protected and at its centre lies one of the capitals current landmarks, the

church of Kpavogs, which can be seen from everywhere in Reykjavik.

With the inclusion of The Icelandic Opera, the church now has a modern cultural counterpart that will also be lit up

and be a landmark in Reykjaviks skyline. The opera respects this special location by replicating the churchs

rectangular form.

A building for the elves and other mythical beings


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Deep underground, in the highlands and under the cliffs around Iceland live the elves. Their dens are not visible from

the outside, but it is believed that they live underground somewhere or other. From the outside the elves homes are

dark and enclosed, but from the inside a radiant and crystalline space is revealed.

The Operas expressional form with its heavy and massive lower floor level and its light and crystalline upper floor

level refers to the mythical home of the elves. The heavy expression of the lower level is broken up with window

openings that vary in size but which all replicate the cubic form.

Over the base the transparent shining cubic tower rises up, housing the main scene and the operas large concert hall

which can hold an audience of up to 820. The facade of the shining cube is a glass screen with LED lights which give

the facade an ever changing appearance, that through the course of a day changes in colour and strength.

The characteristic cube is the Operas landmark that will light up Reykjavik, and from the interior be the Operas

distinctive feature. The cube continues down through the building so that it is visible from the interior, allowing the

large foyer area to look directly into the concert hall.

With the elf hill as their one neighbour and the town as the other, the Opera is situated between history, tradition, a

modern urban district and a cultural landscape with a library, museum and cultural centre.

Arkitemas presence in Iceland

Arkitema and the Icelandic architectural practice Arkthing have a well established working partnership, where they

have worked together on many projects including the Cultural Building in Akureyri which is at present under

construction

For both practices the success has great importance. At Arkitema, Hallgrimur Thor Sigurdsson, architect and creative

leader with the north Atlantic market as his focus area explains: We are very proud of winning the competition.

It is seldom that one gets the opportunity to create such an exciting and prestigious project as an opera. And

continues, We at Arkitema, have worked for a long time in the Icelandic market. With this competition in our

practice, our presence there will be strengthened even more, furthermore it is a cultural project which has a great

sense of meaning not only for the Opera, but for the towns residents and provides Reykjavik with a new shining

landmark.

The winning proposal was made public at a press meeting in Reykjavik Friday 15th August at 14.00hrs local time.

Three teams were invited to the competition, with each team having a locally based collaborator in their team. Out of

the three teams, two teams progressed to the second stage, that of Alark (IS) and David Crossfield Associates (NY)

and Arkitema (DK) and Arkthing (IS), who finally won the competition.

Project Description

The Icelandic Opera reflects its location in its architectural expression. A location that is characterised by the cultural

urban landscape, the Borgarholt elf hill and the church as its immediate neighbours. The initial concept for the Opera

took its form from a cubic geometry that is replicated throughout the whole building both on the facade and the

interior. The facade is characterised by the distinctive heavy base, broken up by the large cubic window openings.

Above, in sharp contrast to the base, lies a shining and distinctive cube which continues through the entire building.

The building is flexible and simply constructed using the cubic form, which are also replicated in the concert hall,

where the walls and balconies are created from various cubic forms which tie in with the building concept whilst

providing acoustic regulation. The Operas location next to the foot of Borgarholt hill provides a natural fall in terrain

which is incorporated within the building, the entrance lobbys two storeys rise up to the rest of the Opera building

which is stretched over three storeys.

One enters the Opera from a little square, where three important cultural institutions are located. From the entrance

one can either continue to the foyer area or go directly to the concert hall and restaurant. At the very top five roof

gardens help to activate the building from top to bottom and provide the guests with a view across Reykjavik.


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Data

Address: Hamraborg, Kopavogur, Reykjavik, Iceland

Size: 8.000 m with an audience of 820

Client: Kopavogur Council

Architect: Arkitema and Arkthing

Landscape architect: Arkitema

Other consultants: Gade & Mortensen Acoustic

Award: 1st Prize in invited international architectural competition

Competition year: 2008

Icelandic Opera House by Arkitema and Arkthing

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