Elliðaár Station

Elliðaárstöð is a decommissioned hydroelectric power station situated in what was once a rural valley on the outskirts of Reykjavík. The station manager resided on site, within a cluster of industrial and domestic structures constructed between 1921 and 1937. The site has since been reimagined as a multi-functional destination, where the history of local resource utilisation, instrumental to Reykjavík’s modernisation, is conveyed through architecture and design. The programme was developed in close collaboration between the team and the client adapting to the site’s specific character.

The commission called for a historical/technical exhibition for the municipal energy company. Following extensive dialogue with neighbouring communities and visitors to the valley, the site was re-envisioned as a public open-air, permanent exhibition. Knowledge is not imposed upon visitors, but conveyed playfully through existing features and carefully considered interventions. The design intentionally highlights the human utilisation of natural resources, emphasising the symbiotic relationship between the two. Flowing water provides a visceral sense of hydropower, while painted surface lines draw attention to the network of underground pipes. Children divert streams to create miniature reservoirs, echoing the processes of the wider valley. The project was realised through an interdisciplinary process in which design, landscape architecture, graphic design, and cultural programming were integrated with the architectural concept from the start.

Material conservation and heritage sensitivity informed the design from the beginning. The approach sought to reduce environmental impact, manage costs within a fully public project, and as a strategy to mediate the site’s layered history. Timber from the decommissioned penstock was repurposed as outdoor seating, while concrete slabs from a former water artery were re-used as surface material. Geothermal drill rods trace a path towards the river. Existing buildings were preserved in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency and made publicly accessible where appropriate. The former barn was reconstructed with a new steel frame and timber cladding, linked by a glazed corridor to form a café. The former station manager’s residence was reimagined as a “home of utilities,” with each room representing a different utility. Material selections echo the utilitarian construction and architectural language of the site’s original fabric.