Author: HA magazine

Game On

Elements of good play areas

As Reykjavík keeps growing, the designated play areas for its youngest inhabitants need to be developed strategically too, write landscape architects Aðalheiður E. Kristjánsdóttir and Svava Þorleifsdóttir Text by Aðalheiður E. Kristjánsdóttir and Svava Þorleifsdóttir. Cover photo by Eva Lind Children spend up to eight hours every day at school or in kindergarten. It is vital that the surrounding grounds are designed with their needs in mind. The design of play spaces should aim to provide children with an outlet for play and creative energy, fulfill their need for exercise, and encourage outdoor activities and games. It is common rule that all children should engage in moderate or vigorous physical exercise at least 60 minutes a day. Well-designed playgrounds stimulate children’s imaginations and provide a space that encourages movement as well as both structured and spontaneous play. Playgrounds need to be safe, but also well-constructed and durable so that they can withstand punishment from children and weather alike. Research has shown that outdoor activity has a demonstratively positive effect on concentration, learning and social interaction. …

DesignTalks follow-up

Studio Swine

  DesignMarch, Reykavik opened with DesignTalks, a full day of inspiring talks lead by internationally renowned designers and design thinkers at the architectural astounding Harpa. Part of the impressive line-up was Anglo-Japanese Studio Swine, co-founded by Architect Azusa Murakami and Artist Alexander Groves. They gave an exceptional talk sharing their unique approach to design and explained their nomadic way of working. Operating across a wide range of disciplines, Studio Swine’s work has gained an international audience within and beyond the design world. Their first proper encounter came as a heart-warming surprise to the audience, having been trapped in Milan after an RCA school trip, due to the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull back in 2010. They have not left each other’s side since. (HA caught up with them briefly before their talk.) Studio Swine was founded on the basis of cooperation of the architect and an artist and the result of this cooperation is quite extraordinary. How do you deal with the different perspectives of Art, design and architecture during your work?  Azusa: “Architecture – able …

In short

Three Designers at DesignMarch

DesignMarch 2016 in now in full motion. We talked with three designers and looked at what they have in store for us this year. We spoke with Bryja Þóra Guðnadóttir about her project Predictable Civil disobedience, Axel Hallkell Jóhannesson exhibition designer at Eldheimar, and Guðmund Úlfarsson typeface designer at Or Type. Predictable Civil disobedience Brynja Þóra Guðnadóttir was recently nominated for the Icelandic Innovation Award for her indoor garden for herbs based on water gel processed from brown algae. “The project started with my MA studies in design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. I wanted to make growing herbs at home easier for people. I wanted to use locally based materials, and  decided to go with water gel to be able to maintain the oxygen in the water. That way, you would only need powder (with all the nutrients that a plant needs) in a bag, seeds and add water. It really could not be easier. The roots grow fast and are visible in the gel, which is interesting for children to watch. I am currently focusing on finding out what kind of …

DesignTalks warm-up

Jonathan Barnbrook

Every year the DesignMarch festival in Reykjavík is ignited with big-name lectures at DesignTalks. There the world’s leading designers and design-thinkers share their wisdom and show us the innovative power of design. Jonathan Barnbrook, one of Britain’s most prominent graphic designers, is among those who will take the stage on DesignTalks this year. Barnbrook is a typeface designer and design activist best know for his collaboration with Adbusters and artist like David Bowie and Damien Hirst. We at HA-magazine wanted to warm him up a little before his visit to Iceland and asked him two questions: If one looks closely at David Bowie’s career it becomes obvious that he sought some inspiration in modern occultism and symbolism. This can both be heard in his lyrics and seen on his album covers. Can you tell us if there is any connection to this esoteric symbolism on the last four album covers you designed for Bowie?   Actually we talked more of emotionally how the music felt or the big universal themes. The covers I did are not just …

Ready steady…

Pick your favourites form the DesignMarch 2016 program

The program for DesignMarch 2016 is out and as expected this year will be a feast for design enthusiasts. HA recommends everybody to read thoroughly through the program and to make a good plan for the weekend ahead, 10-13. March.  Here is a link to the program of DesignMarch 2016 …and a few words from the DesignMarch team: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.“ said Paul Bennett, IDEO, who spoke at the very first DesignMarch, held in 2009 DesignMarch is a child of the financial crisis. We’ve used the time. It’s been fun. Educational and difficult at times. We’ve worked incredibly hard. We’ve designed, tested, researched, taken risks, joined forces, made mistakes, cried, tried again and laughed. Never given up. It takes time, after all, to change the ways in our industry, in our culture, in our society. It is time consuming to convince others that new questions, focuses and methods are the way forward. We designers and architects know new techniques and methodology. A tremendous amount of work, hours and energy by a number of designers and architects have …

The Physics of Architecture

Jón Kristinsson, pioneer in sustainable architecture.

One could say that Jón Kristinsson is an interesting combination of an inventor and an architect. He speaks as a physicist and thinks in sustainability. Jón has been based in Deventer, Holland for the majority of his life. He studied architecture at Delft University of Technology where he later became a professor in sustainable technology and design. Jón is known for having designed the most sustainable building in Holland and is well known for his inventions in the field of sustainability. HA magazine is curious why he is known in Holland as the father of sustainable architecture. Text by Sigríður Maack and Arnar Fells Gunnarsson, Photos by Arnar Fells and Kristinsson Architects. Fascinated by Force of Nature During his high school years he was at sea and was granted permission to take his exams alongside work. Early on, he became interested in sustainable development, assuming the seamanship had something to do with it. At sea he became conscious of the environment and forces of nature, whether it was the boat engine, winds or waves. Jón …

Parlamental grounds — A prime ministers dream

  Downtown Reykjavik is undergoing considerable development these days, and the planned construction in the area has given rise to some lively architectural debate, a debate due in no small part to the ideas put forth by Iceland’s Prime Minister, Mr. Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, or rather his involvement in Reykjavik city planning affairs. In one of his more unorthodox ploys, Gunnlaugsson has reintroduced a century-old set of blueprints for an expansion to Iceland’s Parliament Building. The idea was first presented on April 1 of 2015, and most suspected it to be an April Fools’ Day gag of some sort, as the Prime Minister has no authority in such affairs. However, Gunnlaugsson has pursued the matter in full earnestness, as evidenced by the Christmas cards his office sent out this last holiday season, which featured imagery of the “new” building in its proposed location, across the street from Reykjavik City Hall. Read on for Birkir Ingibjartsson’s thoughts on the Prime Minister’s nostalgic tendencies, and whether or not the proposed undertaking can be achieved in today’s world. …

Let There Be Light

Kjartan Óskarsson at Maison & Objet 2016

Kjartan Óskarsson is known for his innovative Scandinavian structures and lighting that aim to use interactive techniques to connect the user and the object. Óskarsson was recently awarded the Scandinavian Talents á la carte at Maison & Objet, Paris. We attended the prestigious fair and caught up with the designer himself. Text by Sari Peltonen, Illustration by Maya Badouk Epstein Kjartan Óskarsson studied Interior Design at Istituto Superior Di Architettura E Design (ISAD), Milano, Italy and Furniture Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) 2014.  For the past 16 years, he has been involved in numerous interior, furniture, and lighting-design projects. His most recent work however, is building a design studio based around his work on lighting and lamps with the aim of utilising interactive programmes. Made from white oak and ash, the product has no visible controls such as a dimmer or switch, they are instead integrated into the lamp itself. To adjust the light intensity, the user pulls the leather strap of the light. What is it about the connection between user and the object that …

Primitiva

Talismans by Katrín Ólína

Designer Katrín Ólína disappeared, plunged herself headlong into the fantastical realms of the self. After a spiritual journey that lasted many years, she finally returned, bringing with her talismans that serve as embodiments of man’s archetypes. Text by Elísabet V. Ingvarsdóttir, Photos by Arnar Fells og Sebastian Janson, Translation by Sindri Eldon A mysterious woman stands dressed in a dark robe in the high tower of Helsinki Observatory, a venerable white building dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century. She receives her visitors one by one as they ascend the narrow spiral staircase into a forgotten world; the old telescope with its rusted gears, the creaking floorboards, speak to a time long past. Haphazardly arranged display cases can be seen, each one containing curious artifacts. More are displayed in vitrines leaning against the walls of the circular space. Upon closer inspection, the artifacts are revealed to be necklaces, aspects of designer Katrín Ólína Pétursdóttir’s latest work. We are at an exhibition, one of many at this fall’s Helsinki Design Week, where the necklaces …

Thoughts on nesting

On World Architecture Day

An eco-friendly ideology and a sustainable society. Both have become prominent concepts in recent years, not least following the financial collapse that so thoroughly affected people’s way of thinking. It was as if the whole world was ready for a reassessment of its situation – up to certain extent. Text by Bjarki Gunnar Halldórsson arkitekt / Photos by Tom Chudleigh Architects both here and abroad have taken the discussion very seriously and agreed upon the criteria that a sustainable structure must meet. It must, among other things, be resilient and flexible, make economic use of space, be conducive to a pleasant atmosphere and good lighting, maximize the economical consumption of resources such as water, and in addition to all this, it must blend in well with its surrounding environment. These are all fine objectives to have in mind and on par with what generally constitutes a good building in the architectural sense. The goal of living together in a sustainable house is certainly an achievable one. Technology has advanced in giant leaps since I began following sustainability in …