Harpa

The winning name out of 4,156 proposals entered by over 1,200 citizens, Harpa is derived from the Icelandic word 'harp' which signifies the beginning of Spring in the old Nordic calendar. The name offers a nod to the music the building is home to while also embodying a sign of brighter times.

A fitting name for a project interrupted by the 2008 financial crisis, and its severe impact on Iceland’s economy.

“Harpa was half-built in 2008 when the whole financial sector crashed,” stated Harpa’s former director, Halldór Gudmundsson. “We had two opportunities: we could give up and have a half-built ruin and an eternal reminder of the Icelandic crisis standing right in the center of the old town – or it could be finished and opened and be a symbol of resurrection and the comeback of Iceland. And that is what it became.”

Harpa’s story of uncertainty and phoenix-like revival parallels that of Iceland itself, giving the building a new layer of meaning for the people of Reykjavík. 

Designed in collaboration with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, the building’s iconic façade draws inspiration from the interlocking hexagonal basalt formations found along Iceland’s stormy coasts. The faceted façade abstracts and mimics these unique formations, in a fabric of ‘quasi-bricks’ that bring a bit of Iceland’s famed landscape to Reykjavik’s harbor front.

Piercing through, ever-changing Nordic daylight dances and transforms the foyer, creating an interplay of light and space. At night, LED lights embedded in each quasi-brick come to life, illuminating the façade in a spectrum of colors and patterns.

Depending on the weather and time of day, shadows, reflections, and transparency variations created by the forms foreground the experiential influence of natural light on how the spaces are perceived.