Iceland 2015

FEDERATION OF ICELANDIC LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS (FILA)

FÉLAG ÍSLENSKRA LANDSLAGSARKITEKTA (FILA)http://� la.is/

ICELAND

• Area 39,770 sq miles. Capital: Reykjavík, pop. 121,230.• Language: Icelandic. People: Icelanders.• Became a republic on June 17, 1944.• Population: 325,671. Density: 7.5 people per sq mile.• Located just south of the Arctic Circle.• World’s 18th largest island, has thirty minor islands.• Volcanic origins, contains many geysers and � ords.• Lakes and glaciers cover 14.3% of its surface; 2.7% is

water, only 23% is vegetated - mainly with grassland.• 3,088-mile long coastline, where most settlements are.• The island’s interior, the Highlands, is a cold and

uninhabitable combo of sand, mountains and lava � elds.• The 2014 Global Green Economy Index ranked Iceland

among the top 10 greenest economies in the world.• Icelanders are among the world’s healthiest people, with

81% reporting to be in good health.• Iceland holds the world record for most golf courses per

capita with around 5000 individuals per golf course.• Iceland is one of the most important breeding grounds

for many bird species in the North Atlantic.• Geothermal heat is used in 87% of all houses. Abundant

hydroelectric and geothermal power has made Iceland the world’s largest electricity producer per capita.

WORLD LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MONTH - #WLAM2015

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE - - -

The Land of Giants - CompetitionDesigner(s): Choi+Shine

Landsnet, Iceland’s national power transmission company held a competition to design new high voltage electricity pylons for the dramatic Iceland landscape. This design featured 150 foot tall sillouetes of giant people walking across the land. 80% of Iceland’s electricty is from green sustainable sources, such as geothermal power.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - TRANSPORTATION - - -

Hringbraut Bridge in ReykjavíkDesigner(s): Landslag with Studio Granda and Línuhönnun

Partnership to design a bridge over a busy freeway to safely accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, while also providing visual delight.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - PARKS - - -

Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National ParkSta� Landscape Architects manage park interpretation

Thingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. Parliament was established here in 930. The park was established in 1930 on the 1000th anniversary. It became a U.N. World Heritage Site in 2004.Thingvellir lies upon the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 172 species of plants are present here, or about 40% of the Icelandic � ora. Plans for expanded interpretation at the park include way� nding and multimedia materials.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - GEOTHERMAL POOLS - - -

Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal BathsDesigner(s): Landform with A stofunni, Studio Stik and Verkþjónusta Kristjáns

Redesign of pools harnessing geothermal volcanicheat to support tourism, and creation of a setting that � ts in with the surrounding Icelandic landscape.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - PARKS - - -

Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National ParkSta� Landscape Architects manage park interpretation

Thingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. Parliament was established here in 930. The park was established in 1930 on the 1000th anniversary. It became a U.N. World Heritage Site in 2004.Thingvellir lies upon the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 172 species of plants are present here, or about 40% of the Icelandic � ora. Plans for expanded interpretation at the park include way� nding and multimedia materials.



Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal BathsDesigner(s): Landform with A stofunni, Studio Stik and Verkþjónusta Kristjáns

Redesign of pools harnessing geothermal volcanicheat to support tourism, and creation of a setting that � ts in with the surrounding Icelandic landscape.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - URBAN ART AND DESIGN - - -

Meanwhile Projects – BernhöftstorfanVarious designers

Torg í Biðstöðu (Meanwhile Projects) is a program run by the City of Reykjavik, where the city assigned areas that had been sidelined in the planning process to artists and designers to create temporary works, and to test and play with the current and future expressions of the cityscape.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - BIKING INFRASTRUCTURE - - -

Cycling path from Mosfellsbær to ReykjavíkDesigner(s): Landmotun

Most tra� c roads are owned and managed by the Road Administration in urban areas. This project was the � rst time the Road Administration provided a hiking and bikingtrail along with installation of a highway. This cycling path under Úlfarsfell is one of the � rst � nanced in conjunction with a road project. Cycling paths between neighboring towns had previously been scarce.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - HEALING SPACES - - -

Psychiatric Unit Health Park – ReykjavikDesigner(s): Landmotun

This � rst health treatment park for youth in Iceland is in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Department of the University Children’s Hospital. It includes places for cooperation, group therapy and solitude, using natural materials. There are � owering shrubs, blackberries, and a bird house. The goal was to create an environment for both mental and physical relaxation.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - PLAYGROUNDS - - -

Kringsa Playground for AutismDesigner(s): Landmotun

Designed for children with autism in Oslo in 2014. Divided into sections by materials and use of vegetation. Designed to meet the di� erent needs and abilities of autistic children. The park features diverse movement, free play, aclosed garden, ball games, and cozy spaces. Color is comfortable and creates a clearly legible environment. Places for togetherness as well as solitude that feel safe and welcoming. Design based on access for all.



Landmannalaugar Hot Springs - Competition Designer(s): Landmotun

2014 Proposal: to restore a sense of wilderness of the highlands region to the pool area. New trails connect camps to the green canyon, and run along an estuary leading travelers through the site. The goal of the proposal is to strengthen the image of Landmannalaugar as a spectacular natural area and to o� er a design with minimal natural and ecological disturbance.



Nauthólsvík - ReykjavikDesigner(s): Landmotun

This bathing area was previously kept warm by pumping hot water into the sea. The new plan created a more environmentally sustainable pool heated by geothermal water in a delineated area separated from the sea. This redesign respected the history of this site as a WWII port and shelter for sea planes, while also improving conditions for outdoor activities and sunbathing.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - RESIDENTIAL - - -

Mixed Use Design Concept - CompetitionDesigner(s): Felixx

This 2014 plan for the for the redevelopment of Vogabyggd in Rekyjavik includes mixed uses such as residential, commercial and public space. The project is tightly embedded within a port and trans-shipment area, a residential area and a large nature reserve, and serves to connect them all to better serve residents.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - RESIDENTIAL - - -

Solar Hof House Designer(s): Studio Granda

Iceland is renowned for its volatile volcanic landscape due to its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Its sparse and often sandy soil, along with its frigid climate and the threat of volcanic activity, make it a home to only the toughest native plants. Add to this the constant threat of erosion caused by early settlers’ deforestation of the island, and you get an idea of the di� culties facing Iceland’s landscape designers. Their solution? Native plantings, and turf houses with green roofs planted with tundra grasses.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - PUBLIC ART - - -

Field of Yellow Caution FlowersDesigner(s): Dagný Bjarnadóttir

A blanket of yellow � owers recently inspired passers by in the center of Reykjavík. The blanket of � owers is the design of landscape architect Dagný Bjarnadóttir. ´The � owers are made of steel and yellow caution ribbons and they form a blanket from the Pond to the Nordic House in Reykjavík. There is a certain ambiguity in the installation as the immediate experience is that of a beautiful meadow of � owers but they are made of caution ribbons and bring into focus the question of how we treat our environment.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - PUBLIC PLAZA - - -

Harpa Square/Plaza – ReykjavikDesigner(s): Landslag (Landscape Ltd.) with Batteriid, Hennig Larsen, Olafur Eliasson, and Mannvit.

This collaboration won the Nordic prize as as best Nordic public space in 2011. It is an outdoor public plaza/square adjacent to Harpa, an award-winning concert hall and conference center. The space is built over land� ll. A “water mirror” pool distinguishes land� ll islets from the original shoreline. Access to the square is on piers. The design references the history of the area from its early days as an untouched beach where a brook � owed to the sea.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS - - -

Avalanche Protection Gardens -Siglu� rðiDesigner(s): Landslag (Landscape Ltd.)

To provide avalance protection to the town of Siglu� rði, landscape architects worked with engineers to create a curved feature in the mountainside which de� ected snow. This engineered infrastructure was designed to blend into the natural landscape in an aesthetically pleasing way. This project received special recognition at the Rosa Barba landscape design prize awarded in Barcelona in 2003.


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN ICELAND- - - COMMUNITY PLANNING - - -

Solheimar Eco-VillageFounder: Sesselja Hreindis Sigmundsdottir

Founded in 1930, Solheimar is one of the oldest thriving ecovillages in the world, and is a model community for green-minded individuals. It is a small village of about 100 people set in the countryside, characterized by vegetation, open common spaces and buildings that nicely co-exist with the landscape. In 1997, the Global Eco-village network proclaimed Solheimer the � rst sustainable hamlet in Iceland. In addition to its gardens, there are some great examples of both modern and traditional architecture.


FEDERATION OF ICELANDIC LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS (FILA)

FÉLAG ÍSLENSKRA LANDSLAGSARKITEKTA (FILA)http://� la.is/

ICELAND

Reykjavik

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Iceland 2015