Summer house in Veiðilækur. Photo: Clara Vanucci
Architect of the Month, Iceland
Small firm, big architectural magic He has been recognised for his work on the latest extension to one of Iceland’s most important buildings, Keflavik Airport, but is also a household name among hotel owners and private architecture enthusiasts in Iceland. Scan Magazine spoke to Steinar Sigurðsson, founder of Teikn Architects, about the impact of the Eyjafjallajökull incident, Icelandic light and finding a profession to fall in love with. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Teikn Architects
Most Europeans will recall the drama in the spring of 2010, when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted, bringing air traffic across Europe to a standstill. Steinar Sigurðsson, founder of Teikn Architects, certainly remembers – and not only because the event left his home country completely isolated, but also because it led to the project that would see his firm nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture years later. “After all that attention, everyone wanted to experience this strange country that 108 | Issue 126 | July 2019
the airport needed to be extended quickly – and with requirements for great flexibility. The result was a 4,700-squaremetre bus gate terminal with a steel frame, prefabricated concrete floor slabs and a glass facade, taking passengers to and from the aircrafts via remote stands.
had ruined so many people’s plans,” the architect laughs. Indeed, the number of passengers travelling through Keflavik Airport increased by close to 40 per cent per year. Last year, almost ten million passengers moved through the terminal – in a country with a population of just 330,000. Opened in 1987, Keflavik Airport had been extended a number of times already, including in 1999, when Teikn Architects helped adapt the airport to the needs of a Schengen country. But the Eyjafjallajökull incident meant that
Steinar Sigurðsson.