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New Harpa Concert & Conference Center in Conde Nast Traveler
From Conde Nast Traveler May 2011
Iceland's New Coop - by Carly Berwick
Iceland's first grand orchestral space: the Harpa Reykjavíc Concert Hall and Conference Center.
Its population may be Cincinnati-sized, but Iceland has an impressive music scene: a native orchestra; a cutting-edge music festival, Airwaves; and of course maverick musician Björk. And this month, five years after ground was broken (and four since the economic collapse that almost thwarted the project), the country adds its first grand orchestral space, the Harpa Reykjavík Concert Hall and Conference Center. The shimmering glass-clad facade was designed by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, who has made a career out of reinterpreting the earth's elements. He hung a semicircular sun composed of hundreds of lamps inside London's Tate Modern and installed four waterfalls on New York's East River. Back home, he found inspiration in the giant basalt columns formed by Iceland's volcanic substrate. "I'm interested in understanding space and its many dimensions, movement, our exchanges with our surroundings, and time," says Eliasson.
His challenge in the water-bound city of Reykjavík was the extreme ebb and flow of natural light over a year: full sun on summer nights; darkness on winter afternoons. In collaboration with Henning Larsen Architects, he covered the southern facade in transparent "quasi bricks," sections of which are embedded with colored LED strips that can be dimmed or brightened, while the glass bricks themselves reflect the natural spectrum. The entire effect, says Eliasson, is designed to "dematerialize the structure," making its overlapping rectangles seem as if they could float away in the Icelandic mist—and giving the Iceland Symphony Orchestra a home that transforms daylight into a performance itself (354-569-6700).
1. A mosaic of glass panels form Harpa's facade, and LEDs embedded in the southern face glow at night.
2. The red-hued main venue, Eldborg Hall, has a cutting-edge sound and lighting system and seating for up to 1,600.
3. Beyond the atrium are boutiques, a bistro, and a restaurant with harbor views.
Read the full article in Conde Nast Traveler
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