Harpa - Reykjavik Concert Hall & Conference Centre
Christopher Darland talks about some of the challenges Artec has resolved while working on the Harpa design. Artec provides design and planning services covering Pre-Design Phase services, Auditorium Design, Facility Planning, Specialized Performance Equipment Systems Design and Noise & Vibration Control consulting for the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre.
Video excerpt (Christopher Darland’s interview )
Full video (Olafur Eliasson presents the glass facade) at
Harpa - Reykjavik Concert Hall & Conference Centre website
(Excerpts from Harpa’s official press releases)
Located on the harbour between the city centre and the North Atlantic Ocean, Harpa will become one of the city's defining landmarks.
Throughout the design process, emphasis has been placed on giving Harpa enough versatility to host large and intimate events simultaneously and without interference with one another. Harpa's facilities, which offer some of the most technologically advanced equipment available, are thus capable of accommodating everything from large conventions, concerts, and exhibitions to smaller banquets and meetings.
With acoustics design and technical facility planning provided by the world renowned Artec Consultants Inc, designers of the Jazz at Lincoln Center space, the Bartók Béla National Concert Hall in Budapest, Sala São Paulo and the Culture and Congress Center in Lucerne, Switzerland, Harpa will join the ranks of the most prestigious international concert halls in the world, as a prominent member of Artec's family of halls. In addition to hosting an array of international music events, Harpa will also become home to the esteemed Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Icelandic Opera, both known for their professional artistic programs. Reykjavik has been waiting for decades for this new hall and its addition to the city´s energetic musical life.
The main concert hall, the largest of four [ four ] in the Centre, is capable of accommodating up to 1,800 people. A spacious entrance hall is located on both the first and second levels and is the ideal space for exhibitions, large banquets, and receptions. There are two meeting halls on the first level as well as various smaller meeting rooms. Additional amenities include boutiques, a viewing balcony, a bar and restaurant with direct views across the harbour, a ground-floor bistro, catering, and underground parking options.
