Living Landscape
Reykjavik, Iceland
Living Landscape Reykjavik
This project was designed as a prototype for living in a local landscape that could be adapted to anywhere in the world.
A winning proposal for the C40 Reinventing Cities competition, this is a mixed-use complex in Reykjavik with, as the architects describe it, "a minimal carbon footprint, a positive impact on its environment, and a condensed local ecosystem." Situated on the edge of a large regenerated brownfield site that is slated to become an urban hub and a gateway into a new neighborhood, the 280,000-sg. ft. (26,000-m2) Living Landscape will be the largest wooden structure in Iceland. It also represents a new urban typology in which the city and nature are blended. This is the first project of Reykjavik's new eastward urban extension and aims to set a precedent for Iceland's many future developments with its ecosystem typology of the living landscape. Together, they will form an extremely rich, new environmental fabric where the differences between the urban and natural environments are blurred.
This ecosystem-based methodology for growing urban cities was developed with a team of local and international experts, to be considered as a model for the global community. Here, the O-shaped building wraps around a landscaped courtyard designed as an ecosystem with native plants, local rocks, and a surface that mimics the nearby wetlands. The ground floor contains 44,130 sq. ft. (4,100 m2) of commercial space, as well as a museum and a primary school. The second floor will be given over to offices, while the upper floor will provide housing for students, seniors, and families. The roof features five shared glasshouses to accommodate different activities ranging from urban farming to fitness. It will generate new uses through innovative programs and promote social links by providing quality spaces shared by families, students, and the elderly.
Winner of the ‘C40, Reinventing Cities’ competition
Client KLASI, HEILD, UPPHAFF
Programme Climatic greenhouse, offices, housing, restaurant, shops, garden, nursery
Associate architect T.Ark
Team EFLA, EOC, Landslag