Dominating Reykjavik’s harbor, Harpa is its new Concert Hall and Conference Center. It’s impossible to miss this massive structure, with its interesting and unique three dimensional multicolored glass facade. Home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, Harpa can seat up to 1,800 in its largest room.
Harpa’s construction was plagued with problems, some technical but mostly money-related. Half completed when the country’s financial crisis hit, it was almost abandoned. The final tab was US$250,000,000 (in a country with just over 300,000 people, that’s almost US$1000 per citizen). I hope the investment pays off.
It’s a fascinating building to visit, not just because of its size and physical presence, but because of the interesting use of angled glass and light. The accompanying photos gives you a feeling for this.
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