AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.09.2004, Page 67

tion of the entrance area. On the
eastern part of the old south gable
there has been made an open-
ing which is the first that visitors
see when they turn away from the
reception desk. The museum res-
taurant in the new addition attracts
but further along is a corridor lead-
ing to a wedge-shaped lecture hall
which goes across the main building
and receives daylight from the east
and west. West of the staircase,
which leads from the lobby, one
walks through one of the openings
in the south gable, past a lift and
the museum shop under the stair-
case, to a well lit exhibition area with
a photographic exhibition. The floor
of the building has been sunk to
enlarge the space and a long divid-
ing wall along the west side of the
building hovers over the floor and
lets in daylight underneath and gives
a light feeling to the space. In the
exhibition area you see the familiar
teak display cabinets by Sveinn
Kjarval that formerly contained old
treasures but now act as a respect-
able frame for a photographic
display. The staircase in the centre
of the south gable is a central archi-
tectural feature of the museum. The
staircase gets narrower towards the
central step which is the only step
forming a circle. On this step, at the
centre of the south gable the space
again opens up as one were stand-
ing on the stage of an old Greek
theatre where the remainder of the
staircase represents the seats of the
audience. The staircase and their
frame offer a sucessful experience
of form and space and succeed
in connecting the original museum
and the renovation into a rythmic
whole. The steps take the visitor to
an exhibition area with the scent of
oak floor which has replaced the
old museum smell. The space is
larger as dividing walls have been
removed and the basic exhibition
uses the space to the full. Familiar
objects have received a new and
accessible frame of the display furni-
ture made of plexiglass and Oregon
pine reminiscent of the leaders in
Nordic design and architecture giv-
ing the exhibition a “northern” note.
The exhibition offers full access for
everybody where visitors can revert
to their youth because in a side-
room one is encouraged to touch
objects like weapons and armour.
The old classical lobby in the north-
ern part of the building has not
been changed with its original ter-
razzo floor and the familiar staircase
takes you to the third floor where
the space has also been opend up
and the rooflights let in impressive
daylight. The visitor s journey ends
where he walks through an opening
in the south gable onto a balcony
offering a view over the new lobby
and towards the west, through a
window, towards the University
Library. From this balcony one walks
down to the second floor along the
outside wall of the new cylinder
along a bright staircase. The stair-
case contrasts with the dimmed
exhibition areas and in the centre
there is a tall window offering a view
towards the south over the copper
roof of the new glazed entrance, the
main building of the university and
the museum parking. The stairway
ends at another opening on the old
south gable with a large window
on the eastern side with a view
over the refreshment area and the
pedestrian path of the university.
On the other side of the opening
the large staircase again receives
the visitor, leading into the lobby
with the aroma of coffee from the
refreshment area where one rests
before going out through the square
glass entry where one is greated
by the University Campus, autom-
otive storage area and samples of
lcelandic weather. After a few visits
to the museum the author has the
feeling that the museum can hardly
cope with the interest of all the visi-
tors. It is clear that the architects
of Flornsteinar have succeeded in
opening up the National Museum
and creating a better setting for
display than the original building.
The central architectural feature of
the museum is still a staircase. The
architects, Ólafur, Ögmundur and
Ragnhildur have successfully creat-
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