Harpa (concert hall)

Harpa Music Hall and Conference Centre

Harpa Concert Hall
General information
Type Concert hall & conference centre
Location Reykjavík, Iceland
Address Austurbakki 2
Town or city Reykjavík
Country Iceland
Coordinates 64°9′1″N 21°55′57″W / 64.15028°N 21.93250°W / 64.15028; -21.93250
Current tenants Iceland Symphony Orchestra
The Icelandic Opera
Construction started January 12, 2007
Completed 2011
Opened May 13, 2011
Cost €164 million[1]
Owner Portus
Height 43 metres (141 ft)
Technical details
Floor area 28,000 square metres (300,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firm Henning Larsen Architects
Batteríið
Other designers Ólafur Elíasson, facade design
Artec Consultants, acoustics design
Main contractor ÍAV
Other information
Seating capacity 1,600–1,800 (Eldborg, main hall)
450 (Norðurljós)
750 (Silfurberg)
195 (Kaldalón)
Website
Venue website

Harpa is a concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavík, Iceland. The opening concert was held on May 4, 2011. The building features a distinctive colored glass facade inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland.[2]

History

Harpa was designed by the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects in co-operation with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. The structure consists of a steel framework clad with geometric shaped glass panels of different colours.[3][4] The building was originally part of a redevelopment of the Austurhöfn area dubbed World Trade Center Reykjavík, which was partially abandoned when the financial crisis took hold. The development was intended to include a 400-room hotel, luxury apartments, retail units, restaurants, a car park and the new headquarters of Icelandic bank Landsbanki.

Construction started in 2007 but was halted with the start of the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis.[2] The completion of the structure was uncertain until the government decided in 2008 to fully fund the rest of the construction costs for the half-built concert hall. For several years it was the only construction project in existence in Iceland.[2] The building was given its name on the Day of Icelandic Music on 11 December 2009, prior to which it was called The Reykjavík Concert Hall and Conference Centre (Icelandic: Tónlistar- og ráðstefnuhúsið í Reykjavík). The building is the first purpose-built concert hall in Reykjavík and it was developed in consultation with artistic advisor Vladimir Ashkenazy and international consultant Jasper Parrott of HarrisonParrott.[5] It houses the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the offices of The Icelandic Opera.

In the opening concert on 4 May 2011, Iceland Symphony Orchestra performed under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson as soloist.[6] The concert was broadcast live on RÚV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service.[7]

Harpa is operated by Portus, a company owned by the Icelandic government and the City of Reykjavík.

In 2013, the building won the European Union’s Mies van der Rohe award for contemporary architecture.[2]

The current director of Harpa is Halldór Guðmundsson.[8]

In its unfinished state, Harpa (under the earlier name Tónlistarhús) appears in Gæska: Skáldsaga by Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl, where it is temporarily turned into a mosque with the addition of a minaret.

It was the setting of an episode of the Netflix series "Sense8".

References

  1. ↑ MacKin, Laurence. "Iceland opens stunning new arts centre in the teeth of a recession". Irish Times. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Harpa in Reykjavik: Iceland's symbol of recovery". Nordiclabourjournal.org. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Gibberd, Matt; Hill, Albert (20 August 2013). "The Return of Ornamentation". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Harpa Concert and Conference Centre Reykjavik by Henning Larsen Architects". de zeen magazine. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  5. ↑ http://art4logic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/harpa-conference-center-opera-in.html[]
  6. ↑ McManus, David. "Harpa: Reykjavik Building, Iceland". e-architect.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Press Release: Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre Official Opening on 4 May 2011" (PDF). Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Harpa Official Website - Staff". www.harpa.is. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
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