Viking heritage and traditional habitat
As Iceland has no forest and stone is a rare commodity, the first buildings were mainly made of peat, which had extremely insulating properties. The latter was cut into long grassy strips(strengur) or blocks(hnaus). The peat was then placed on a frame made mostly of driftwood, imported wood being reserved for the wealthy. The walls were slightly sloped inwards to take the weight of the roof. When the building had a foundation, it was made of volcanic rock. The Vikings used this type of construction extensively before developing another type of structure: the longhouse. Its walls were made of wooden planks, while the frame was supported by two rows of posts on each side of the house. The roof could be thatched, sodded or sometimes shingled. The walls of these houses were again sloped inwards, giving the whole structure the appearance of an overturned drakkar. The central feature of these long, narrow houses was the fireplace, which was partly buried in the ground and ran almost the entire length of the house. The first houses had only one room, then they were gradually equipped with new spaces for storage and reception in particular. For safety as well as comfort, the outbuildings of the longhouses were often connected to them by tunnels or protected passages. The archaeological site of Stöng is one of the most surprising. Here you will find an impressive longhouse with a small living room(stofa) and even a master bedroom. Along the walls, you will see two trenches... which seem to have been a common toilet! Over time, the longhouse was finally abandoned in favour of buildings reminiscent of those of the island's first inhabitants. This is how the "grass houses" became inseparable from the country and its history. These constructions are generally dug in the side of a hill, the rock or the earth of this last one constituting the4th wall of the house; the 3 others being constituted of a mixture of stones and peat laid out along a wooden framework. The roof is often made of a mixture of peat and slate to be more insulating. The sloping roof extends slightly beyond the front of the house, protecting the entrance, which is the object of much decorative attention (friezes, sculptures, mantling, etc.). Over time, the gables of these houses became taller and narrower, giving the whole an almost aerial effect, even though the house seems to be buried in the ground! Some houses were also joined together while keeping their own roofs, thus creating an astonishing effect of perspective. Simplicity and modesty characterize these houses which offer both a shelter against the harshness of the climate and an opening onto nature. To discover the richness of this traditional habitat, go to the Tyrfingsstadir farm whose buildings have very beautiful decorations of wood and peat, the blocks of grass creating astonishing patterns; to Þverá with its beautiful houses made of lava stone and roofs of birch and grass; to Eyjafjördur with the Laufás farm and its heated sauna; without forgetting Hofskirkja, a magnificent peat construction which is none other than a... church!
Classical influences
In the 18th and 19th centuries, wooden constructions multiplied, whether they were farms or churches. The latter, mostly Lutheran, are characterized by small compact volumes, simple square or rectangular plans and a great general sobriety that enhances the bright colors of the roofs, doors and frames. These churches also have the particularity of being built in isolated places and often on spaces that look like promontories. Among the most beautiful, don't miss the red-roofed church of Vik, the small blue church of Seyðisfjörður or the amazing church of Buðir painted entirely in black, except for its doors and windows painted in white. These are only a few examples of the almost 500 churches in the country! In the countryside, the wooden farmhouses, resting on hard foundations, are often white with coloured roofs, some with nice wooden porches as well. Beautiful examples can be seen on the Glaumbaer site. At the same time, the first official buildings began to appear, whether in stone or prefabricated wood. They were most often built by Danish architects on behalf of their government, which had control over Iceland at the time. Some of these buildings are characterized by low walls and tarred on the outside, which gives them a compact and dark aspect; others on the contrary are distinguished by an imposing slate or wooden roof, portals with columns, decorated cornices and pediments, white facades... all these attributes are resolutely classical. The residence of Bessastaðir, built between 1761 and 1766, shows it very well. It is in stark contrast to the current Icelandic Parliament building, which dates from 1849. The massive and austere aspect of the building, largely reinforced by the grey of its basalt stone, is "counterbalanced" by the presence on the facade of decorative elements with the effigy of the 4 great pagan spirits of the country: the giant, the eagle, the bull and the dragon; a way of reminding us that this building of classical construction is resolutely Icelandic. You will notice that most of the official buildings are not protected by any walls, but are open to the world. A symbol of the transparency of democracy to which the Icelanders are fiercely attached, as shown by the unbreakable link they maintain with the historic site of Þingvellir, the seat of the very first Icelandic Parliament, where you will also be able to see many remains of the stone and peat huts that housed the participants in its major assemblies!
Modern and contemporary effervescence
In terms of individual architecture, the beginning of the 20th century was still largely marked by the influence of Scandinavian countries, Norway in particular, from which the Icelanders borrowed the "chalet style". The houses of this style are most often entirely prefabricated and are characterized by spaces and larger openings and chiselled wood decorations coming to frame doors and windows. This is in stark contrast to the budding terraced houses! At the same time, corrugated iron, imported from England in the 19th century, continues to progress. In Reykjavik, most of the houses are covered with it. But the Icelanders knew how to attenuate the not very aesthetic aspect of it by painting it of lively colors. Concrete, the leading material of the 20th century, will transform Icelandic architecture. Guðjon Samuelsson was the first Icelandic to be trained as an architect, and his style was based on the architectural properties of concrete while drawing inspiration from Icelandic landscapes and folklore, thus creating a national style. He is responsible for some of the country's most emblematic buildings: the University of Iceland, whose geometric lines are reminiscent of Art Deco; the Cathedral-Basilica of Christ the King in Reykjavik, with its imposing cubic bell tower; the church in Akureyri, nicknamed the "ice cathedral"; and, of course, the famous Hallgrimskirkja, whose structure, full of cut-out volumes, is reminiscent of basalt organs. Another leading architect of modernity: Hogna Sigurdardottir-Anspach, the very first woman architect to have built in her country! Elegance and sobriety characterize her style. Among her most beautiful creations, let us note the Thorvardur house (Reykjavik) with its clear and smooth volumes and its roof terrace, and the Hafsteinn house (Gardahreppur), reinterpretation of the peat houses organized around a monumental concrete chimney. A sobriety of form can be found in Alvar Aalto's beautiful Nordic House (Reykjavik), whose organic forms, topped by a deep blue ceramic roof, blend harmoniously with the environment. The country also boasts some unusual buildings, such as the Asmundarsafn Art Museum in Reykjavik, with its arches and dome that give the whole complex the appearance of an Arab-Mediterranean palace, or the church of Blonduos, whose conical shape and colour are reminiscent of Icelandic volcanoes. In Reykjavik, the figurehead of the contemporary revival is the Harpa Concert Hall. Awarded the European Union Prize for Architecture, the building was designed by Henning Larsen in collaboration with the visual artist Olafur Eliasson. The latter works with a material called "quasi-brick" in reference to the quasi-crystals whose shape it takes on and to the brick whose function it takes on. For the façade of Harpa, coloured glass panels were added to the material, creating a kaleidoscopic effect and astonishing plays of light and reflections. The skyscrapers also contribute to redesigning the capital's skyline, like the Höfðatorg or the Turninn, whose glass curtain wall reflects the light and the landscape, allowing the structure to integrate without imposing itself. A philosophy shared by all contemporary designers, such as the MINARC agency, which designed the superb ION Luxury Adventure Hotel, a rehabilitation of an existing structure on stilts enlarged by an elegant concrete structure; or the Basalt agency, which designed the sublime The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, with its spa dug into the lava and its bay windows opening onto nature. But the most impressive hotel on the island is of course The Cliff Retreat, whose glass, concrete and steel structure seems to be suspended in the void. The country is also seeing a proliferation of magnificent architectural houses with clean lines and natural materials, such as the Villa Lolá by the Arkis agency, whose larch wood has turned grey over time, giving it a mineral aspect that echoes that of the surrounding mountains. Finally, the capital should soon welcome the largest wooden building in the country. Designed by the Jakob+MacFarlane agency, the "Living Landscape" project consists of a zero-carbon building organized around a central core that recreates a real ecosystem (indigenous plants, local rocks, etc.), an innovative way to renew the dialogue between nature and urbanity!
