PM slams new planned city complex
Photo: PK arkitektar
A new 30,000 m2 complex of flats, offices and shops planned for central Reykjavik has been condemned by Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson as “possibly the worst planning disaster of all time”.
The new complex – to be known as Hafnartorg – will feature 80 residential flats, 8,000 m2 of shopping space and 7,000 m2 of office space. There will also be an underground car park with 1,000 parking spaces.
“Reykjavik does not have much architecture which could be described as historical, traditional or aesthetic – it is characterised by the small, old and subtle,” says Gunnlaugsson. “More than foreign cities, Reykjavik needs to promote urbanisation with a historical flavour.”
CEO of the development company in charge of seven buildings in the complex, Gísli Steinar Gíslason, rejects the PM’s criticisms, claiming that the design goes hand-in-hand with the history of the area.
“We have tried to take the historical context into account as much as possible, and we want the complex to be part of the city centre, not some sort of island,” he explains.
Mayor of Reykjavik, Dagur B. Eggertsson, is also satisfied with the plans. “The architect has tried to give each building its own character, calling widely on the history of the site,” he says.
“It will obviously be controversial but I think that everybody involved in this difficult project over the years will agree that much ambition has gone into it and it has developed well.”
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Photo: PK arkitektar
Photo: PK arkitektar
Photo: PK arkitektar
Photo: PK arkitektar
Photo: PK arkitektar
