Arkitektúr og skipulag - 01.12.1988, Page 98

pumping station at Laugalæ-
kur, designed by Björn Stef-
án Hallsson. The Association
regards this as an important,
and symbolic, step towards
cleaning up the coastline of
the capital area.
Page 45
The Beginnings of Land-
scape Architecture in Iceland
Jón H. Björnsson de-
scribes his career in land-
scape architecture. A gradu-
ate of Cornell, he made his
first design for the City of
Reykjavík in 1953, and later
he designed the Hallargarður
park by the Lake. He also
opened a plant nursery, con-
sciously aiming to broaden
the range of garden plants
available in Iceland.
Today landscape architects
are on the permanent staff of
the different planning bod-
ies.
Page 51
Wear and Tear on Build-
ings
Wear and tear can be di-
vided into that caused by
normal usage, and abnormal
influences such as natural
disasters, changes of use, etc.
Björn Marteinsson and Bene-
dikt Jónasson calculate the
cost of normal maintenance
on an apartment block for
100 years, and points out that
this average is not spent on
maintenance, partly because
the average age of buildings
in Iceland is low (82% under
30 years, 60% under 20
years). At the design stage,
attention should be paid to
the question of economic
maintenance.
Page 57
The Skuggi District Resi-
dents’ Association
The Association was
founded in 1983 after plans
for redevelopment of the dis-
trict were published, allow-
ing for a switch from indus-
trial to residential use, and a
much higher usage ratio (i.e.
buildings of up to 10 or 12
floors). Many residents were
concerned about the view to
the sea being blocked by new
high buildings, and were also
unconvinced that these
would necessarily provide
shelter from the wind, as
predicted. In spite of repeat-
edly seeking collaboration
with the planning authorities,
the residents had no success
in changing the plans for the
area, which are going ahead
as contemplated.
Page 59
Renewal on Skúlagata
Þorvaldur S. Þorvaldsson,
Director of the Reykjavík
City Planning Department,
discusses the Skúlagata or
„Skuggi district“ plan, de-
signed by Guðmundur Kr.
Guðmundsson, Ólafur Sig-
urðsson and Björn Hallsson.
The district, made up of a
mixture of small industrial
and domestic buildings dat-
ing from around the turn of
the century, was in a state of
disrepair.
The aim is to redevelop it
as a residential area, taking
into account its location close
to the old city centre and
overlooking the sea. Tall
buildings will give as many
people as possible the benefit
of the view, while also pro-
viding some shelter from
northerly winds for the dis-
trict beyond.
The style of the buildings
aims to harmonize with exist-
ing structures, with steeply-
sloping roofs. There will be
underground car parks,
which will be open for public
use to some extent, easing
the city-centre parking prob-
lem. There will be space for
small businesses at street lev-
el.
Designs for two individual
plots within the Skúlagata
plan have now been ratified;
the city is building accommo-
dation for the elderly on one
plot, while the other, resi-
dential, plot is being devel-
oped by contractors Steintak.
Page 63
Concrete Research
Hannes Kr. Davíðsson de-
seribes his comparative re-
search on Icelandic concrete
with portland cement, and
concrete made with cement
from Holland. Humidity
measurements showed a ma-
jor discrepancy, with a high-
er water content in the Ice-
landic cement. The author
discusses the different chemi-
cal composition of the build-
ing materials available in Ice-
land and in mainland Eu-
rope. He underlines the
importance of ongoing re-
search into these problems,
and collaboration with chem-
ists, geologists and biologists
in order to find a solution.
Page 67
Environmental Confer-
ence at Akureyri, September
1988
The conference was at-‘
tended by about 150 people -
local officials, park supervi-
sors, architects, landscape ar-
chitects, government offi-
cials, etc. Different speakers
discussed Man in the Land-
scape, local authorities’
planning problems, environ-
mentai questions in the city,
roofed-in „winter cities“, and
the afforestation effort. Con-
ference guests also toured lo-
cal forestry plantations and
the Akureyri Botanical Gar-
den.
Page 71
Planning and Values
Planning work must take
environmental values into ac-
count. Planning decisions are
important, involve large fu-
ture investments, and cannot
normally be reversed.
State Town-Planning Di-
rector Stefán Thors points
out that extended building
work, both in residential ar-
eas and also in the sphere of
publicly-funded projects, is a
blot on the city environment.
Buildings cannot be regarded
as „completed“ until the ex-
terior and surrounding plot
are completed, road sur-
faced, pavements built, etc.
Neither private home build-
ers nor public authorities
should start what they know
they cannot finish.
Page 77
A House Within a House
The outer skin is a simple
weatherproof structure with
sheet glass, and a normal
roof, clad with corrugated
iron. Inside, the house prop-
er can be built, but need not
be weatherproof, e.g. wind-
ows do not need sealing,
walls do not have to be of ex-
terior quality. The Building
Research Institute reported
on the building prototype.
The external building has the
advantages of simplicity and
easy maintenance. The space
between inner and outer
structures can be used in
many ways, e.g. for a garden
room, play area, drying area,
garage, etc.
Page 79
Carrots and Strawberries
Avant-garde poet Sjón
gives his view of artist Daði
(or should it be Dada?)
Guðbjörnsson.
Page 81
An Administrative Centre
in Isafjörður
Architects Albína and
Guðfinna Thordarson de-
scribe their design for an ad-
ministrative centre in ísa-
fjörður, the major town of
the West Fjords region. The
building was formally opened
in September 1988, only four
years after the initial archi-
tectural competition was
held. All the offices open on-
to a central area and well,
open through all the floors
up to a glass roof. The build-
ing’s total area is 4,437
square metres.
Page 87
Parc de la Villette, Paris
Sigurður Einarsson writes
about Bernard Tschumi’s fu-
turistic park design and how
it is being put into practice.
Page 90
The Association of
Icelandic Architects
The Association aims to
encourage good architecture
and collaboration between
members, and to protect
their interests. Various com-
mittees and services operate
within the association, which
runs a gallery and a specialist
library, as well as publishing
a periodical. The Association
will be 50 years old in 1989,
and various events are
planned to mark the anni-
versary.
ARKITEKTÚR OG SKIPULAG