Breaking New Ground

Breaking New Ground was the title of a round-table discussion at Harpa on January 16th. The topic was Harpa itself: the experience of users, visitors and employees and Harpa’s impact on city life in Reykjavík.

The Mies Van der Rohe Award and its impact in Iceland were also discussed. Speakers contrasted the award’s great importance in the architectural world with the comparative lack of interest shown by the Icelandic media. Sigurður Einarsson from Batteriid Architects described the birth of the concept for Harpa’s design. Harpa takes its core inspiration from Iceland’s natural landscape : how land meets sea.