Klaksvík City Center

At the end of the fjord, where two mountainsides meet, a once isolated, windswept industrial area is being transformed into a vibrant city center. With an abundance of housing and a range of public spaces and amenities oriented around a central plaza, the plan for Klaksvík’s new inner city is designed to provide shelter from the area’s infamous winds.

Project details

Client

Municipality of Klaksvik

Typology

Urban districts and masterplans, Mixed-use, Residential

Status

Under construction

Designed in consideration of its rough seaside climate, the urban plan for Klaksvík’s City Center is intended to breathe new life into a virtually deserted area that had previously divided the Faroe Islands’ second-largest town in two.

Developed closely with our computational designers and collaborating engineers, the design of Klaksvík City Center is mindfully informed by the very environmental conditions that previously challenged the area’s development, resulting in the town’s spatial divide. In doing so, the design strives to create a comfortable micro-climate that will support and encourage a revival of the area.

The form and positioning of the buildings are inspired by local building traditions and based on simulations of local wind conditions; applying site-specific technical measurements as well as local experience and knowledge. Façades retracted at street level will offer sheltered public pedestrian paths, while strategic street distribution, clusters of buildings, and angled volumes will break the dominant winds and create comfortable shelter zones ensuring a pleasant micro-climate in the area.

The plan for Klaksvík's city center adopts an urban strategy that is adapted to local wind conditions, combining state-of-the-art micro-climate analyses with traditional ways of building in the local area. Nic Lehoux, 2018

The displaced building volumes - inspired from the historical layout of the city - break the dominant winds and create comfortable shelter zones in the city.

The winning proposal from 2012 is based on a star-shaped structure where the center of the star constitutes the new city square. The pointed shape connects the new area to the surrounding urban space and roots it in the existing city.

Gradual development

As a mixed-use urban development, the plan incorporates retail and cultural destinations, housing and workplaces. Developed gradually, the area is seeing an organic increase in use, now home to residences, a rowing club, and a cultural community center equipped to host theater, music, and lectures for a seated audience of 350 people.

“Housing is particularly important to a city center as residents secure activity around the clock and create a warm and lively atmosphere in the neighborhood. For that reason, I really appreciate that a mixed housing and retail project was first to be executed. I believe that this has given the development the best possible starting point for the future city center.” - Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Design Director Faroe Islands, Partner

With extroverted features at ground level and housing accommodating different tenants’ needs through varying unit sizes and layouts, the plan aims to promote diversity within the community.

Divided into three zones, once completed, Klaksvík City Center will be home to an urban zone with shops, cafés and a library, a green zone with recreational amenities, and a blue zone with a cultural center, maritime museum and promenade.

This residential block was completed in 2018 as the first phase of the development.

Nic Lehoux, 2018

The Klaksvík Rowing Clubhouse (Klaksvíkar Róðrarfelag) completed in 2023 is central to the new center of the town and has emerged as a vital contribution to Klaksvík’s refreshed identity. Rowing, the national sport of the Faroe Islands, is a significant part of Faroese culture, with athletes dedicating considerable time and effort to year-round training and competitions against neighboring towns. Nic Lehoux, 2023

“Housing is particularly important to a city center as residents secure activity around the clock and create a warm and lively atmosphere in the neighborhood. For that reason, I really appreciate that a mixed housing and retail project was first to be executed. I believe that this has given the development the best possible starting point for the future city center.”

Ósbjørn Jacobsen

Design Director, Faroe Islands

Completed in 2023, the Klaksvík Row Club building serves as a public venue hosting a variety of events and exhibitions. Nic Lehoux, 2023

Contact

All contacts

Design Director, Partner

oj@henninglarsen.com

Director, Innovation and Sustainability, Partner

jstr@henninglarsen.com

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