BUILD Q3 2018

24 Build Q3 2018 ounded in 1967, and owned by Gardar Gudnason and Sigur- dur Gustafsson, Arkitektastofan is one of the oldest firms of its kind in Iceland, but still maintains a young and progressive team of staff, and utilises the knowledge it has in terms of management and a professional approach. Whilst optimising peak performance, the main goals of the firm are to con- tribute to better architecture and a better environment, as they are looking to provide customers with the best professional consulting available. In or- der to achieve this, Arkitektastofan possesses a wide range of experience in a vast array of projects, whether it be from city planning and all kinds of buildings to interior and furniture design. Past projects of the firm include residential housing, schools, sport facilities, hospitals, churches, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as power plants. In addition to the design of new structures, the company also takes care of renewals and extensions of older buildings. In the field of interior and furniture design, staff members have worked internationally and received various awards which highlight the award-win- ning ability, quality and determination of staff. Currently, the team at Arkitektastofan’s is working on projects involving residential housing, educational buildings and industrial facilities. One of these projects which is underway is Klettaskoli, an elementary school for disabled children in Reykjavik. The project is a new building, including an auditorium, sports and swimming facilities and offices, along with a total modernisation of an existing building, greatly improving the support to the students. The project is now under construction. The sport and swimming facilities are already put into operation, and are considered to be the best facilities for disabled people in the country. In Vestmannaeyjar, an island by the south coast of Iceland, is one of the firm’s industrial projects, a heating pump facility. The facility transfers heat energy from the sea to the warming of local houses. When working with a building like this, which mainly houses machinery, one has to take into account the unique surroundings of Vestmannaeyjar, which is a big tourist location. The building itself is located on the main route between the city and the island’s famous annual festival. The main façade therefore has large windows to view the machines, and has forms and colours, symbol- ising the heat and cold and transfer of energy. Excellent Architecture Producing a Better Environment Arkitektastofan OG is a comprehensive architectural firm based in Reykjavik, which is currently utilising its expertise and successful results to produce outstanding results. We profile the firm and gained an insight from the company’s owners as we look for greater insight into the firm’s results. F The House of Ice and Fire One of the latest, and perhaps the most innovative project that the team at Arkitekastofan is the House of Ice and Fire. This is a single family house, designed for a foreign client, who has become very interested in Icelandic nature. The house is, of course, inspired by the nature of Iceland, specifically the lava formations. One of the most typical Icelandic lava forms is the ‘helluhraun’, made by a rather thin flowing lava stream, that creates a continuous coat of lava rock on the land. However, as the lava cools down, it starts to break into fragments. Later on, with various changes of the land underneath, those fragments generate new formations, some of them with caves and other spaces of unique quality. Another inspiration is ice in its various forms. The ice on a lake or a river melts in the spring and starts moving, creating fragments and formations in many ways similar to those of the lava. The glaciers are also moving, cracking and transforming as they flow very slowly. Still more powerful is the interaction between the ice and the fire. Special formations occur when a lava stream collides with a glacier, or as a result of an eruption under the glaciers heavy weight. This is the concept of the House of Ice and Fire, the transformation of forms, made by the duality of those huge forces, constantly battling each other.