A pedestrian-focused design to promote a more lively, safe and green streetscape in Breiðholt, a place for everyone and a place for the community to take part in each other's lives. The team plans to tackle the issue of alien spaces and low biodiversity by creating an agro-centre and a green lab to host and protect the nature in the area and encourage activities such as Urban Farming. The team wants to normalise knowledge-exchange by proposing a research and science zone. The different creative, cultural and sport spaces encourage community involvement and help create a sense of place, where people want to live, work and play.

Key components

• Implementation bike service stations with all necessary tools for basic repairs.
• On a parking lot between Frístundamiðstöðin and Íþróttamiðstöðin Austurbergi, creation of a factory 4.0 with additional functions like a recycling centre.
• Tree nursery and greenhouse for plants breeding. Community Agro centre and Urban Farming initiatives with nearby cohousing buildings.

Learn more about the project in the project presentation.

Presentation of the site

Reykjavik is Iceland's capital and largest city with an area of 200 square kilometres and a population of 123,000. Breiðholt is a suburban area in the eastern part of Reykjavík, approximately 20 min car drive from the city centre. The site selected for this competition, Austurberg and Gerðuberg is located in the centre area of Upper-Breiðholt.

The Breiðholt district was built in the sixties as a solution to housing problems in Reykjavík. It has 10, 000 residents and approximately 1,800 social apartments, most of which are located in Upper-Breiðholt. Due to the number of social houses in the area, there are also high numbers of immigrants. The area is home to a variety of industrial and service jobs and a pocket of residents in the Ivy City area. Today the Austurberg streetscape is unsafe and unpleasant for pedestrians and cyclists. Travel by car is the most common way to get around. Currently, development is low density and there is a lack of public space. However, underutilised land provides an opportunity to deliver a more dense and diverse environment.

Special Mention

Team: Compos(t)ing Language

Team members: Calypso Foti, Israel Noriei Oyakawa Mariano, Dennis Nonnast, Jenna Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Franka Kling - University of Geneva