Reykjavik University

Reykjavík University. In collaboration with Henning Larsen Architects in Denmark.

The new Reykjavik University is seen as a town rather than a building. Laying out the University as a classic, closekniturban structure with streets, squares, recesses and courtyards creates a place with urbanity, dynamism and community at its centre. The main central space of the University - Crossroads - fulfils the function of the main square of a classic town. This is where people converge and diverge, the place from which the main arteries of human traffic radiate. These arteries demarcate the
different faculties, such that each faculty forms a distinctive neighbourhood within the city, each with its own little alleys, squares and surprise views of the surrounding landscape. The interior courtyards
afford increased opportunities to be outdoors, as they provide shelter from the wind while the low height of the buildings lets in the sun.