Drawing inspiration from the volcanic basalt stone, the horizontal layers of rock, and the atmosphere of the caves and clefts of the Icelandic landscape, C.F. Møller and Arkthing have won a competition to design Landsbankinn’s newest bank in Reykjavik.
The bank’s façade is composed of primarily two materials: glass and basalt. These two elements, along with other components common in Icelandic nature, can also be found inside the building. In the foyer, a skylight opening is formed in basalt stone. In the atria, the horizontal bands of the terraces are expressed in in-situ concrete, meant to reference Icelandic rock formations.
Rendering courtesy Beauty and the Bit.
The office spaces are designed to be open and flexible and are placed into four complex houses. The different houses come together to function as one building that is oriented with views to the sea, Harpa Concert Hall, and Arnarhóll Park. The atria are inside the two tallest houses to ensure daylight reaches deep into the structure. The two lowest houses provide glazing and connections to external terraces and gardens.
Rendering courtesy Beauty and the Bit.
Public functions are located on the ground floor and along the façade, which activates a new pedestrian street leading to Harpa Concert Hall. An internal, sheltered public passage links the new facilities and creates a shortcut for the city.
Construction is planned to begin in early 2019.
Rendering courtesy Beauty and the Bit.
C.F. Møller Architects / Arkthing.
Related Stories
Projects | Mar 3, 2022
Move, lift, restore: Repurposing a former post office near San Francisco
In mid-February, a construction crew began lifting a 1940s post office building located in Burlingame, Calif., on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Projects | Mar 2, 2022
Manufacturing plant gets second life as a mixed-use development
Wire Park, a mixed-use development being built near Athens, Ga., will feature 130 residential units plus 225,000 square feet of commercial, office, and retail space. About an hour east of downtown Atlanta, the 66-acre development also will boast expansive public greenspace.
Office Buildings | Feb 23, 2022
The Beam on Farmer, Arizona’s first mass timber, multi-story office building tops out
The Beam on Farmer, Arizona’s first mass timber, multi-story office building, topped out on Feb. 10, 2022.
Resiliency | Feb 15, 2022
Design strategies for resilient buildings
LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering Kim Cowman takes a building-level look at resilient design.
Office Buildings | Feb 1, 2022
Mennica Legacy Tower: GP's latest office complex in Warsaw is uniquely designed
Mennica Legacy Tower marks GP’s first completed project in Poland. The Mennica Legacy Tower was developed by an affiliate of Golub & Company LLC and Mennica Towers GGH MT Sp z o o S.K.A, and delivered in collaboration with Epstein, a design firm with offices in Chicago and Warsaw.
Laboratories | Jan 28, 2022
3 must-know strategies for developers in today’s life sciences industry
While the life sciences industry had been steadily growing, this growth exploded when the pandemic arrived—and there is no indication that this lightning-fast pace will slow down any time soon.
Office Buildings | Jan 26, 2022
BlackRock’s Innovation Hub in Atlanta showcases its global design guidelines
The two-story space harkens to the city’s culture and past.
Coronavirus | Jan 20, 2022
Advances and challenges in improving indoor air quality in commercial buildings
Michael Dreidger, CEO of IAQ tech startup Airsset speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about how building owners and property managers can improve their buildings' air quality.
3D Printing | Jan 12, 2022
Using 3D-printed molds to create unitized window forms
COOKFOX designer Pam Campbell and Gate Precast's Mo Wright discuss the use of 3D-printed molds from Oak Ridge National Lab to create unitized window panels for One South First, a residential-commercial high-rise in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Headquarters | Oct 28, 2021
Florida’s Seagate Development Group tackles design-build projects from a developer’s vantage
A “single point of contact” for clients, says its CEO.