Iceland International Studio Spring 2007
- Johnathan Levine
- Jenni Pilnik (UG2)
- Noah Posthuma (UG2)
- Ryan Arnold (3G3)
- Paulo Mastrogiacomo (3G3)
- Patrick Carmody (3G5)
Five students spent four weeks in Reykjavik, Iceland's capitol, studying Icelandic architecture and planning. This study included tours by and meetings with prominent local architects, as well as meetings with various city and state planning offices. The trip was overseen by Professor and Chir of Urban + Regional Planning Johnathan Levine, and organized by Orri Gunnarsson, a recent graduate from the TCAUP Urban Planning program.
The Blue Lagoon is an artificial hot water spring near Keflavik and one of Iceland's most popular tourist destinations. Iceland is known for its geothermal activity, which supplies energy and heat for most of its inhabitants. The temperatures of the pools at the Blue Lagoon are regulated using hot water from a nearby geothermal energy plant. The blue color is attributed to silica in the water which reflects the blue of the sky, along with green contributed from algae. Both the silica and algae are believed to have therapeutic effects on the skin.
Three of the students in the course climbed the Fimmvörthuháls trail which leads from the Skógafoss waterfall near the southern coast to the Þórsmörk valley. The path ascends slowly, following the course of a river replete with spectacular waterfalls and surreal gorges. After ascending 1100 meters, the trail crosses the Mýrdalsjökull glacier before descending 900 meters along treacherous valley walls into the beautiful Þórsmörk valley.
The trip took a total of 13.5 hrs, with the students arriving at 7:00 the next morning at a lodge maintained by the Útivist volunteer organization for a well earned nap before (barely) catching the bus out of the valley.
One of the excursions out of Reykjavik, where the students were staying in Iceland University housing, was an overnight hiking trip to a natural hot water spring near Þingvellir, the original location of Iceland's Parliament.
At the confluence of a geothermally heated river, and one of glacial runoff, exists a pool where the two extreme water temperatures combine in a peaceful valley for the perfect natural bathing experience.
The Skólavörðustígur represents a typical shopping street in downtown Reykjavik. At the end of the street can be seen the colossal Halgrímskirkja church on Skólavörðuholt hill by State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson. This towering concrete landmark can be seen from almost all points in Reykjavik, being one of the tallest buildings in the city situated on one of its highest hills. But this is by no means the only monumental work of architecture in Reykjavik, which is home to Studio Granda's Reykjavik City Hall and the Supreme Court of Iceland, the Alþingi Parliament House by Ferdinant Meldahl and its expansion by Sigurður Eiarnarsson, the Kristskirkja Gothic concrete cathedral also by Guðjón Samúelsson, and the Nordic House by Alvar Aalto, to name just a few.
By Patrick Carmody