In june 2008 we submitted a proposal for a new university campus building in Reykjavík, gathering all Icelandic competence researching and educating in the historic Icelandic litterature and better facilities for displaying the original Saga manuscripts in one building. Needless to say, the building would be of national importance and a great many architectural offices took part. We collaborated with Geir, Jarl Ture and Espen (Griff Arkitektur), as well as brainstorming at the beginning with Odd and Adnan (a-lab).
The building is divided into three distinctive parts – Álfaborgin (the elf city);the rock you enter into where the national treasure is kept safe – jarðskorpan (the crust); the rough icelandic landscape where you move freely on top, and «bókin» (the book); hovering over the violent landscape, elevated, containing and protecting the knowledge.
We got shortlisted in the evaluation, one of 5 potential contenders to the 1. prize. Among the jury comments were «…. The floor plans of the lower floors are skillfully done with beautiful horizontal and vertical spatial connections. The idea of the connection between the storage facilities and the exposition area is particularly interesting…,… the library and exhibition spaces are interestingly designed and the overall appearance is exciting and positive, material choices are innovative»