AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.08.1996, Page 66

E
NGLISH SUMM
A R Y
a standardised system of pillars and
struts which can easily be transported
and adapted to different plots of land.
Once the structure has been set up, the
housing units are inserted into it, with
an emphasis on a 60 cm space against
the outer wall for use as storage, open
space or even solar heating if the wall
is made of glass. The designs are shown
at various stages of construction with
illustrations of various arrangements
depending on the needs of individuals
living there.
PAGE 45 FARM HOLIDAYS — 30
YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT
þórdís Eiríksdóttir traces the develop-
ment of Farm Holidays from their
launch, based on a Danish model, in
1965 to the formal establishment of a
Farm Holidays service with 23 mem-
bers in 1983. Today, there are 1 18
members. To meet the problem of un-
economically small units and growing
customer demands, the Farm Holidays
service developed a pioneering system
of three quality categories. The service
has since founded its own tourist agency
for groups and more than half the mem-
ber farms can accommodate 16 or more
guesfs. Recent developments have been
self-catering chalets and leisure activi-
ties. The main problem of farm holidays
is extending the season.
PAGE 49 A COMPUTER TABLE,
PLEASE!
Physiotherapist Hulda Olafsdóttir offers
practical advice on ergonomics for com-
puter users. Insufficient space is often
allocated to computers in offices. She
discusses the most comfortable configu-
rations of tables, chairs and keyboard/
mouse space in light of the growth of
wrist, elbow and shoulder complaints
among computer users.
PAGE 51 WELCOME TO ICELAND
In this article Kjartan Jónsson descripes
what first meets the eye of a visitor ar-
riving in lceland. This first impression
is very important and the route to
Reykjavík should be treated as the „en-
france hall fo lceland" which it is for
most visitors.
64
PAGE 56 VARIATIONS ON A
THEME OF PEGS
Art historian Gunnar J. Árnason writes
about an exhibition organised by Form
Island on fhe theme of pegs. Some 52
exhibitors were invited to submit origi-
nal designs for pegs, with complete free-
dom apart from using only 15x30 cm
wall space. Most of the pegs were
"metaphors" using natural or man-made
objects in a peg function, including
horns, phallic symbols and a mouse-
trap, and some parodied the peg func-
tion completely.
PAGE 59 APARTMENTS OF THE
FUTURE
Heba, Hólmfríður og Ebba architects
describes a State Housing Institute con-
cept competition to design 20 different
apartments aimed at meeting the de-
mands of the future. Taking into account
social developments, a basic principle
in the designs was fhe individual and
his or her spatial needs. Given the im-
portance in lceland of demographic
movement between small communities,
the project highlighted mobility of apart-
ments themselves, "chasing" their inhab-
itants to where they wanf to live. Struc-
tures use a standardised system of pil-
lars and struts which can easily be trans-
ported and adapted to different plots
of land. Once the structure has been
set up, the housing units are inserted
into it, with an emphasis on a 60 cm
space against the outer wall for use as
storage, open space or even solar heat-
ing if fhe wall is made of glass. The
designs are shown at various stages of
construction with illustrations of various
arrangements depending on the needs
of individuals living there.
PAGE 66 SCREEN FENCING,POTS
AND GARDEN FURNITURE
Landscape architect Gunnar Gunnars-
son discusses factors to be borne in
mind in garden improvements.
Role,location,meterial,height,apperance
and foundation are all important fac-
tors in the selection of screen feencing.
PAGE 68 COLLABORATION COM-
PETITION FOR THE NEW NORDIC
EMBASSY BY TIERGARTEN IN
BERLIN
Architect Sigurður Einarsson writes
aboutthe design competition for a new
complex housing the embassies of the
five Nordic nations in Berlin, which was
made necessary by the decision to
move the German capital there from
Bonn. The project was divided into two
phases, the first an open competition
for the layout of the embassy area and
common facilities, and the second a
competifion in each respective country
for fhe design of its own embassy within
the framework decided upon in the first
phase. The winning entry for the lay-
out phase, by Alfred Berger and Tina
Parkkinen from Vienna, envisages a
large copper fence forming a strong,
united exterior but enclosing roads ta-
pering from the main entrance. The
winning lcelandic entry for the second
phase was submitted by Pálmar Krist-
mundsson and Gunnar B. Stefánsson,
and was praised by the panel for its
use of contrasfing nafural stone, deci-
sive treatment of daylight, use of lce-
landic allusions and accessibility con-
siderations.
PAGE 73 THE ACT OF SiniNG
Art historian Ásdís Olafsdóttir traces the
development of chair design since the
last century and the different social at-
titudes it reflects. Furniture reflects the
social function of its users, changing
from the idle rich of the Vicforian age
to more open designs which demand
that users should be awake, energetic
and conscious, wifh the notion of com-
fort a secondary consideration. Com-
fort returned under postwar prosperity,
with synthetics, until clear logical leather
upholstery reminded of the need for
wakefulness again after the oil crisis.
Yuppie furniture has a graphic role,
while ergonomic chairs not only follow
the human posture but even aim to cor-
rect it. Recent designers have empha-
sised the need to prompt questions
about purpose and stability. Louis Sulli-
van's tag that „form follows function"
can be restated today as„form follows
(e)motion."
PAGE 76
The artist introduced in this issue is
Bjarni H. Þórarinsson. ■