Fræðaþing landbúnaðarins - feb. 2010, Side 340

| FRæðAÞING LANdBúNAðARINS 7, 2010340
Modern work by Icelandic landscape architects, based on historical inspiration, seems
to be most often done in a rather traditional way in order to revitalize the spirit as it
was before (Einar E. Sæmundsen, personal communication). This can be seen, for
example, in the work of Guðmundur Rafnar Sigurðsson (Sigurðsson, 1998) and
Ragnhildur Skarphéðinsdóttir (Skarphéðinsdóttir, 2004). Martha Schwartz and daniel
Libeskind are modern designers that are famous for adventurous work and have been
inspired from the history in diverse ways (Martha Schwarts Partnesrs, w.y.;
Richardson, 2004; Schoonderbeek, Marc w.y.; Studion daniel Libeskind, w.y.).
Although their projects are different, they often show wondrous forms, unusual
materials, bright colors, peculiar scaling and often surprising and curious interplay of
perception and experience. Such projects raise questions and for that reason they
function as informative.
A number of municipalities in Iceland have agreed on sustainability policy and
Hafnarfjörður is one of them (Hafnarfjarðarbær Hafnarfjordur.is, w.y.). In their
strategy they have emphasized education, lifestyle, environment, natural and cultural
heritage, economy and the community.
Bearing people’s health and condition in mind, it has been acknowledged that the
environment often requires improvements (Elmarsdóttir, 2008). Some have argued
that green spaces in the urban environment are a key factor for restoration for mental
health (Jackson, 2003; Kaplan, 1998).
The aluminum plant in Straumsvík is situated on a former lava tongue,
“Kapelluhraun”, which is believed to have erupted in the year 1151 (Eldjárn, 1955-
1956). Now, only the moss-grown fringes are left of the lava as most of it has been
dredged away to use in road and house construction early in the 20th century (Jónatan
Garðarsson, personal communication). An old path made by man and animals
stretched through the lava, called “Alfaraleið”, and is now only visible close to a
small stone wall, called the Holy Barbara’s Chapel (See Figure 1). A small statue of
the catholic Saint Barbara was found in the wreck. The story tells about Barbara
which died martyr death as she was tormented by her own father and became a saint.
(Guðmundsdóttir, 1981) She is believed to be a protector against fire, explosions and
other things and therefore adored by smelter workers. Kristján Eldjárn (1955-1956)
believes that the Chapel was constructed in catholic times for travelers going through
the forbidden new lava, because at that time it would have been thought good to
worship Holy Barbara.
Based on an analysis and inspiration from history a new design of the plant
environment appearance has been proposed. A light was cast on an informative
environmental design, for people working at the site and for the community. The
interested parties’ visions were pointed at opportunities laying in interplay of the old
Figure 1: Statue of Holy Barbara, the Chapel and the plant in the background. (HS)