Town Centre Masterplan, Akureyri, Iceland
Winner, International Competition, 2005
Following our success in an international design competition in 2005, Graeme Massie Architects were appointed by the municipality of Akureyri to develop their master plan and public realm proposals for the town centre.
Our proposals aim to create a unique identity for Akureyri; to capitalise on the town’s natural setting and provide high-quality urban spaces attractive to prospective residents, businesses and tourists. The ultimate aims of the urban plan are to reverse recent decline and reinstate the centre as a vibrant, mixed-use area.
In order to achieve this we have proposed a series of landscape and infrastructural initiatives including: formation of a new inlet, cutting through previously reclaimed (but unused) land, to re-establish the connection between town centre and fjord while revealing the line of the town’s original waterfront; selective demolition and reconfiguration of the existing urban structure to allow for significant commercial expansion.