Turf City
Vatnsmyri, Reykjavik, News
Competition propsal urban design masterplan, Reykjavik, Iceland
BauNetz, 2008
NextRoom, 2008
Platforma Urbana 2008
BLDGBLOG, 2008
Team
Project directors
© Gudjon T. Erlendsson & Jeffrey Paul Turko. Turf City was a project designed by the office before the AUDB name change in 2009.
Project team
Gudjon T. Erlendsson, Jeffrey P. Turko, Dagmar Sirch, Sibyl Trigg, London UK
3D Visualization:
Jesus R Velazco, Venezuela
Engineers:
Buro Happold, Andy Murdoch, Joao De Campos Cruz, London UK
Landscape architects:
Craft:Pegg, John Pegg, London, UK
Environmental consultant:
System Science, Hordur Haraldsson, Sweden
Copyright Gudjon Thor Erlendsson, Jeffrey Paul Turko
The design team was selected as a result of a competition involving many leading firms of architects and urban designers. They were chosen because they convinced the jury of their strong conceptual and strategic approach.
The Turf City masterplan site lies at the potential confluence of important transport links, including the highway connecting Reykjavik to Keflavik Airport, ferry terminals and rail link to airport, as well as public transport links to the greater metropolitan area. The design ties together the existing and potential infrastructure and urban fabric surrounding the site by connecting the major roads emerging from the surrounding site boundaries. Integrating these later into a complete grid system.
The rapid development of masterplans for thousands of new residents in a short timeframe and ever changing parameters is beyond the capacities of traditional urban planning frameworks. This project is a result of continued collaboration between architects, digital crafts-men, engineers and landscape architects, focused on development of groundbreaking urban planning tools to help evolving cities.
The prototype for the characteristics of this new neighborhood was the traditional Turf House of Iceland. The type of structure and materials used for a dwelling vary depending on how permanent it was. Frequently moved nomadic structures would be lightweight and simple, more permanent ones will be less so. When the Icelandic people settle somewhere permanently, the architecture of their dwellings had to be adopted to local available materials, and suit the local climate. They needed to be insulated, and able to withstand high winds and snow loads. The result was the Turf House.
By Gudjon Thor Erlendsson
© 2008 Gudjon Thor Erlendsson, Jeffrey Paul Turko all rights reserved.