together developed the quasi brick for Harpa’s facade. On the south facade, the quasi bricks form a three-dimensional pattern while the two-dimensional facades of the building are a variation of the same theme, developed by making varied sections in a virtual, massive quasi brick structure.
makes the relatively complex building easy to navigate in, as regards both the public areas and the backstage space. How have you developed the facade design – and how did you come up with the final idea? The facade has been developed in close collaboration with Studio Olafur Eliasson. From the first meeting, we set ourselves the goal that our collaboration should result in a unique design combing architecture and art. This showed to be both an exciting challenge and a very dynamic driving force in the project that brought us to places we would never otherwise have discovered. The central element in the facade is the three-dimensional quasi brick structure on the south side of the concert hall. The basic form of the twelve-sided element was originally developed by Olafur Eliasson and his collaboration partner Einar Thorsteinn. Based on this basic structure, we
One of the main ideas behind the facade design is its dialogue with the inner volumes and spatialities. Thus, one of our focus areas was the changing light and how the structure and coloured glass are reflected in the various spaces of the foyer. Visitors will experience the city and surrounding landscape through the distinctive facade and its changing expressions, as an continuously changing sense perception. Viewed from the outside, the inner life of the building and the facade engage in an ever changing dialogue with the surroundings and the fantastic Icelandic landscape.
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