Cool architecture, crazy design: Nordic postmodern buildings

Written by/MOOK Editorial Team

 

Harpa: Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre

After its opening concert on May 4, 2011, the dazzling glass facade lights of “Harpa” have shimmered beautifully every night by the Reykjavik harbor, symbolizing Iceland’s path toward recovery and prosperity after its economic collapse.

“Harpa” is Iceland’s newest concert hall and conference center, designed by the internationally renowned Danish architectural firmHenning Larsen. Prior to this, they had already completed successful projects such as the Copenhagen Opera House in Denmark and the Malmö City Library in Sweden. This time, they collaborated with Danish-Icelandic visual artist Olafur Eliasson, placing special emphasis on the installation art. The geometric, undulating glass panels resemble an ever-changing kaleidoscope, and at night, they become the most radiant luminous objects in the Reykjavik sky—apart from the Northern Lights.

Now home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Opera, it hasfour performance halls, with the largest capable of accommodating 1,800 spectators.

Copenhagen Opera House

This opera house was completed in January 2005, designed by Danish architect Henning Larsen. Built on an artificial island in the middle of the canal, it looks from the opposite shore like an ellipsoid topped with a graduation cap. From another angle, standing on the pier next to the opera house and looking at it obliquely, the square metal flat roof at the top transforms into a triangular shape slicing through the sky, creating a highly dynamic visual effect.

Royal Library

Everyone describes this library, completed at the turn of the century, as a “black diamond.” Its black granite facade gleams under the rare blue skies of the Nordic region during the day, and at night, thanks to the reflections of the canal water and the carefully preserved interior lighting, it shines like a giant diamond illuminating the city.

This Royal Library is actually the new building, constructed between 1995 and 1999 by the renowned Danish architectural team Schmidt Hammer Lassen. The entire structure is a trapezoid that tilts forward, facing the canal pier. The center of the building deliberately features a diamond-shaped glass curtain wall, which draws natural light into the library during the day and transforms into the most beautiful night scene by the canal when illuminated from within at night.