Research
Sunlight analysis
We did a sunlight analysis for the area to locate advantageous spots for development. This map represents direct sunlight that hits the area from the 1.nov to 31.des. We chose this time frame as it shows where the sun hits during the most challenging part of the year.
Vegetation and Geological map.
Housing need analysis by Húsnæðis og mannvirkjastofnun
According to HMS 27.000 new apartments need to be built before 2030 to keep up with accumulated housing need or around 2.950 apartments a year. The age distribution of the population of Reykjavík is also changing and is getting older on average this means a change in the type of housing needed as there will be fewer people living with children and the demand for large private residence will shift to smaller apartments ranging about 60-150 m2 in size.
Link to the HMS report︎
Final Resault
The proposal is to take full advantage of the upcoming improvements being made to the programmatic quality of Elliðaárdalur as well as adding our own complimentary programs and repurposing Toppstöðin. To help these programs be a success we have added residential neighborhoods to Blesugróf, Ártún and Skildinganes with the intention being that having more people live close to them, will in turn increase daily usage and provide a more local pool of potential workers. It will as well increase the density and availability of housing in Reykjavík while taking full advantage of preexisting physical and social infrastructure.
This map shows the plots we added to the neighborhoods, each color representing an individual plot. With upcoming demographical changes in Reykjavík we predict that smaller lot sizes will allow for greater flexibility and resilience for the site, ensuring demographic diversity and keeping the environmental impact to a minimum.
To decide the location for the plots we looked at our solar and geological data for guidance. We located each of our plots in such a way to achieve maximum sun exposure based on the solar analysis where each plot receives at least 3 hours of direct sunlight on the winter solstice. In regards to the geological data the sites of our neighborhoods are also chosen to minimize impact on the soil and surrounding area. We chose to place the bulk of the plots on the dolerite slab as it has potential to reduce the embodied carbon of a building by 40% according to life cycle assessments.
Urban Lab - Design Agency