Volcanic Architecture and Stone

The Cathedral of Christ the King features a tall, slender concrete spire that rises sharply above the colorful rooftops of the Landakotskirkja neighborhood. This Catholic church was consecrated in nineteen twenty-nine, designed by the…

The Alþingishúsið is built from hewn Icelandic dolerite, a dark, volcanic rock that gives the structure a somber, heavy appearance against the bright sky. Completed in eighteen eighty-one, it serves as the home of the national parliament.…

The Unknown Bureaucrat consists of a man in a suit carved from volcanic stone, his upper body emerging from a raw, unfinished block of basalt. He sits near the shore, gripping a briefcase while his head disappears entirely into the heavy,…

The National Gallery of Iceland is recognizable by its white, neoclassical exterior, originally built in nineteen sixteen as a freezing plant for the local fishing industry. The building held tons of ice and salted fish before its…

The Hallgrimskirkja rises above the city in a jagged silhouette of basalt columns, its concrete tower tapering into a point that mimics the volcanic landscape of Iceland. Architect Gudjon Samuelsson designed the church in nineteen…

The National Theatre of Iceland features a heavy, basalt-like facade shaped like a rugged cliff face, designed by architect Guðjón Samúelsson to mimic the volcanic rock formations found throughout the island. Before it opened in nineteen…

Harpa Concert Hall features a glass facade composed of twelve-sided geometric modules that shift in color with the changing Icelandic light. Designed by Olafur Eliasson and Henning Larsen Architects, the building opened in twenty eleven,…