Smiðja Parliamentary Offices

Smiðja is the latest addition to the mostly historic building stock of the Icelandic Parliament. The program was to provide contemporary offices, meeting rooms and facilities to complement and augment the existing structures. The building should also complete the Parliament precinct facing the City Hall and it's attendant reflecting pool. Smiðja is now the new public image of the Parliament, crafted from the material and by the hands of the land it serves. Two artworks, a bronze pendulum over the entrance and a red tangled ceiling on the ground floor are an irrevocable part of the composition.

Sourcing stone was a major obstacle due to its typically fractured nature (aggregate is the main use) and the most suitable material was within protected areas. Fortuitously, construction sites, loose rocks and abandoned quarries, that were re-wilded as part of the acquisition process, provided sufficient material. Massing limitations and a program of differently scaled spaces were challenging and complicated by efforts to ensure daylight penetration deep into the building. This in turn led to inventive structural and security solutions. The desire for a building that embraces the public realm and gives a sense of freedom to its users is endlessly compromised by security concerns. To the street, trenches reveal the historic level of the city and provide protection. Internally a ground floor court offers a secure breath of fresh air and a roof terrace expands the space of the building to the country beyond the capital. Specialist glazing and bespoke systems invisibly fill the gaps.

Concrete is the most economic, flexible, low-maintenance material manufactured in Iceland and is used in-situ for structure and visible surfaces. Externally walls are clad in six types of native stone with locally produced rock-wool insulation. Aluminum windows and curtain walling are rated for the extreme climatic conditions. Public areas have floors of stone, or terrazzo with stone off-cuts. Offices are laid with cushioned linoleum and meeting rooms and stairways are of oak. Office walls are de-mountable and reusable with a minimum of painted surfaces. With the absence of materials, emphasis was placed on local craftsmanship as a means of reinforcing a sense of place. Most apparent is the bespoke oak carpentry installed throughout the building to give warmth and improve acoustics. However, it is the collective skills engaged for complex formwork, glazing, metalwork, masonry etc. that give the building it's dignity. Curated archeological artifacts and installations recall its past.