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281 Mt. Auburn Street  
Watertown, MA
02472   Directions

617.744.8722
will@ruhljahnes.com

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studio, Special Project February 17, 2017

Architecture and Nature

Sandra Jahnes:

Winter has arrived!  As we admire eaves painted in a fresh coat of snow, some of us find ourselves (gasp!) enamored by New England’s wintry might.  We like to see architecture as something through which we enjoy nature, but also sometimes as influenced by nature.  There are a lot of great examples of this, but these travel photos of the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland seem particularly fitting on a day like today.  The Hall was designed by Henning Larsen Architects in co-operation with Olafur Eliasson.  Enjoy!

 

Henning Larsen Architects describes the Hall, “Situated on the border between land and sea, the Centre stands out as a large, radiant sculpture reflecting both sky and harbor space as well at the vibrant life of the city.”
The steel and glass kaleidoscope façade impresses when view both from the interior and exterior. It is made of twelve-sided modules referred to by Eliasson as “quasi-brick.”
The geometry is repeated on the foyer’s polished steel ceiling – a surface which adds to the glistening effect on the building’s interior.
When designing the façade, Olafur Eliasson was inspired by Iceland’s dramatic basalt formations.
The cooling of basaltic lava over an extended period of time creates these columns of rock.
Found at varying scales throughout Iceland, these rocks create patterns of light and shadow, much like the Harpa Concert Hall.
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Henning Larsen Architects describes the Hall, “Situated on the border between land and sea, the Centre stands out as a large, radiant sculpture reflecting both sky and harbor space as well at the vibrant life of the city.”
The steel and glass kaleidoscope façade impresses when view both from the interior and exterior. It is made of twelve-sided modules referred to by Eliasson as “quasi-brick.”
The geometry is repeated on the foyer’s polished steel ceiling – a surface which adds to the glistening effect on the building’s interior.
When designing the façade, Olafur Eliasson was inspired by Iceland’s dramatic basalt formations.
The cooling of basaltic lava over an extended period of time creates these columns of rock.
Found at varying scales throughout Iceland, these rocks create patterns of light and shadow, much like the Harpa Concert Hall.
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