Green-Roofed Landsbanki Office Connects the City of Reykjavik

New York-based <a href="http://work.ac/" target="_blank">WORK Architecture Company</a> has unveiled a design for Landsbanki Bank Headquarters that consists of a series of <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/23/stepped-manhattan-high-rise-enrique-norten-ten-arquitectos/" target="_blank">green-roofed steps</a> rising up from a ground-level city park. The striking proposal is designed to visually connect the historic old town of Reykjavik with the newer, more modern scale of the buildings on the edge of town. Courtyards and a narrow floor layout provide occupants with plenty of daylighting and access to the outdoors in Iceland's capital city.

WORKac was one of five teams invited to propose a new Headquarters for Landsbanki Bank in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/16/henning-larsens-winning-design-for-daylight-campus-roskilde/" target="_blank">Reykjavik</a>, Iceland.

Reykjavik's historic old town is skirted by a number of more contemporary buildings, which creates a dramatic dichotomy between the old fabric of the city center and the new developments at the city’s edge.

WORKac's facade for the Landsbanki Bank, which serves as both structure and fenestration, was inspired by the interwoven patterns of Icelandic art.

The proposal calls for a series of programmatic strips that are stacked to create strategic voids and shared elevated gardens.

The strips feature <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/09/italys-tilting-hypo-alpe-adria-bank-creates-its-own-shade/" target="_blank">narrow floorplans</a> that allow for maximum flexibility in office layout and permit daylight to suffuse the interior spaces.

The shared gardens are protected from the cold northern winds by the exterior of the building, and the <a href="../green-roof/" target="_blank">green roof</a> acts as an extension of the courtyards and the nearby park.