ALÞINGI

OPEN COMPETITION, PURCHASED ENTRY 2016

description

For decades the Icelandic parliament has been planning to construct a new office building for its members, as well as for political parties, committees, and parliament personnel. This structure was to connect to an existing extension of the old parliament building, with the potential for further extensions in a second phase.

The building site has however sat vacant for some time, having been reserved since the 1970s but used instead for decades as a parking lot for the parliament. The site is surrounded by historically significant buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries and a recent archaeological excavation revealed important findings dating back to the settlement era.

Our proposal imagines the site as a sort of campus of buildings from different time periods, adding two new structures that take inspiration from the surrounding architecture. The new buildings contrast in form, function, and material from the older structures, and surround a central courtyard facing City Hall. They each address the city in different ways – one engages with the street, the other with the new garden.

The building facing the street is five storeys tall and made of concrete, drawing inspiration from some of the area’s early 20th-century structures. It would house a gym on the top floor, offices for members of parliament on the upper floors, and a reception and meeting rooms on the ground floor. Since the function of the building is on the whole quite introverted, so to speak, the ground floor features areas whose functions are more socially-oriented – such as that of a restaurant or café.

The building facing the garden is three storeys tall and made from cross-laminated timber. It takes inspiration from the old timber houses in the area and contains conference and meeting rooms, as well as offices for the parliament’s personnel. The structure also connects the existing buildings to the new concrete building.

Team

Andri Gunnar Lyngberg Andrésson, Guðni Valberg, Jón Davíð Ásgeirsson

Collaborators

Rosario Badessa, Anna Dröfn Ágústsdóttir, Björn Teitsson

Location

Kirkjustræti, Reykjavík, Iceland

Client

The National Parliament of Iceland

Program

Offices

Size

5.770 m2