KRISTJAN BREIDFJORD SVAVARSSON
CV
Kristjรกn Breiรฐfjรถrรฐ Svavarsson Sva
Born: October 16th 1981 Nationality: Icelandic (live in Norway) E-mail: kristjan.breidfjord@gmail.com Tel: +47 94120678
Education: 2005-2008 2005 2000-2004
1997-1999
Iceland Academy of the Arts: Bachelor Degree in Architecture Reykjavík School of Multimedia Studies Reykjavík Technical College: Diploma in design Diploma in art studies Húsavík Junior College
Language skills: Icelandic, English, Norwegian Key technical skills: Vectorworks, Cinema 4D, Sketchup, Adobe [Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premier, After Effects], V-Ray, Maya, AutoCad, Microstation Relevant Work Experience: 2010 -
Freelance
2008
Ask Architects
Published Work: 2006 2004
AT-Magazine of Icelandic architects [1.ed. May 2006. Pages 118-119] Reykjavík Technical College for a Century: 1904-2004
BA project [3rd year]
This is my bachelor graduate project. The site is set in Álftanes, a small town in the greater Reykjavík area, where among others is the residence of the President of Iceland. The aim of the project was to make a cultural center with exhibition-spaces, offices and a café, as well as workspaces for artists and scientists.
Apríl-Maí Júní-Ágúst Sept-Nóv Des-Mars
The environment played a huge role in the design of the building. Analysis of wind, sunpath and town density was taken into account. Nearby are breeding grounds for many bird species and the land is mostly swamp and rocks, a natural factor that had the biggest impact in material choice.
Above are plan drawings of the first and second floor, and below is a color-code of room function. On the first floor is the lounge (red), boutique/information desk (yellow), offices (blue), WC (purple) and workrooms (orange). On the second floor there is the cafĂŠ (brown) and an exhibition room on the history of Ă lftanes (purple).
Diagram showing the functional idea of arrival to the building. Green represents people that travel by environmentally-friendly ways (walking, cycling, horse-back riding, cross country skiing, etc). Blue represents the arrival by canal (boat or ice-skating, depending on season). Gray represents roads (busses, cars, motorcycles).
East
West
View of all facades. East shows entrance from the parking-lot as well as a large window from the Bessastaรฐastofa-exhibition on the second floor which faces Bessastaรฐir (the residence of the President of Iceland). West shows entrance for the green-route and north shows arrival by canal. There is no entrance from the south.
North
South
Materials used are metaphors for the surroundings. The red colour of the swamp was fascinating, and to portray that in the outer facade of the building I used Corten steel as well as basalt stone. For flooring I used rough wooden planks with the red essence of the swamp.
Section A
Concrete foundation PVC film
Rock wool Parquet flooring
Section and details. Lower left detail explains how the canal and building meet. Lower right explains the function of the roof and roof-top windows; irregular window units in-between grass bumps, that give indirect light to the rooms below.
Section B
Vapour barrier Insulation
Urethan insulation Drain Corten steel Concrete Gravel
Second floor section from where the cafĂŠ is located, explaining how isolation and Corten steel is integrated in the building, as well as how the roof is combined with different materials.
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b
c
d
(a)Northside, view from the canal. (b)Main exhibition room, with the ability to split it into 3 separate rooms by arranging movable walls. (c)Grassroof at the second floor, a nice chillout spot with a nearby entrance to the café. (d)Bessastaðastofa exhibition room, with a target view to Bessastaðir.
e
f
g
h
(e)Canal to left, workroom at right, offices at front. (f)Elevator and staircase to second floor. (g)View at arrival from parking-lot, boutique/information-desk to left. (h)View from the hallway, which is also usable for smaller exhibitions.
Galata project [3rd year]
In my last year of BA studies we took a classtrip to Istanbul, Turkey. The main target was to feel the atmosphere of a densely populated city and later design an apartment building at a specific location near one of Istanbul’s landmarks, the Galata Tower (built in 1348). What impressed me the most was the green growth within the city.
Top left shows the position of the building in the proximity of the Galata Tower as well as the beginning of the main shopping street (pictured in red). Center shows a 360째 panorama view from Galata Square, with building site pictured in green.
Top shows how my idea of using a green facade evolved. Center shows material choices: exposed concrete, oak and English Ivy. Bottom is sketched diagrams that show how environmental elements are affected by the green facade (sun, wind, pollution, birdlife).
Top shows plan diagrams from basement, first floor (flower boutique and laundromat), apartment floors (40/48m2 with integrated furniture to make the best use of small spaces) and an open rooftop that can serve as a garden.
Sections; at right showing how the building uses outside wind to cool down the building through tunnels, therefore using less electricity. WC’s are situated by windows to allow for humid, warm air to leave the building through air tunnels.
Back view, showing how the English Ivy covers the entire facade, allowing balconies to extrude from the hidden building. First floor businesses have access to a small courtyard behind the building.
Keilir Chapel [2nd year]
Keilir is a small (379m) cone-shaped mountain on the Reykjanes peninsula in southern Iceland. Subglacial eruptions during the ice-age created the distinct form. Location in lava terrain with easy access by car and a magnificent view makes it a favorite among hikers.
The goal was to make a chapel (not necessarily linked to religion) near the mountain. I designed an underground chapel with two entrances that connect to a small space beneath a round window. Center photo explains the function of the window; it can bear great weight, and in the center is a small hole for dripping waterdrops.
My main objective was to make as little change to the surrounding lava environment as possible. My idea for the window comes from a geysir, which is an ideal metaphor for a window into an other world. Surrounding the window and entrances is a concrete frame.
The idea behind the stairway is to give visitors an easy climb up/ down; they are irregular in both width and height. Natural lava rocks are at the bottom, and visitors need to bend under a concrete wall to get into the square chapel space which contains no ornaments, only natural light through the window and occasional raindrops.
Harbour of culture [2nd year]
Aim of this project was to design a building within the future plans of Vatnsmýri in Reykjavík, where today serves as the site for the domestic airport. Future plans involved a canal system and the main purpose of the building was to be a cultural pitstop at the end of the canal, with galleries, library and a café.
Top section through harbour area (inside/outside spaces under wooden beams allow for wind and light to go through). Center section through gallery on first floor and the library on second floor; a reading area with focus point directed towards the canal. Bottom section through cafĂŠ with a lowered floor for direct vision to canal.
View of inside/outside spaces at the harbour. Exposed concrete walls shape the area and close the space with rectangular openings in both ends. Diagram shows how the cold wind coming from the sea is directed away from building, while the warm wind coming from inland is allowed to breeze through.
Numerous ways to approach the building, be it by foot, car or boat. Reading and relaxation space on second floor visible from the canal, and beneath it the gallery space on the first floor .
Aldo Rossi tribute [1st year]
First year research/design project: students were assigned a specific architect and later design a building inspired by that architect. Photos in the middle show Aldo Rossi’s work that inspired me most, elements that I try to use in my design. At a later stage we recived a 17x50 m residential site in a small town called Hveragerði.
Our assignment was to design a private home for an artist and his/ her family, with space for a work room and gallery. In my design the gallery is located at the right end, and the bedrooms are in the cube on the left. A corridor with shared daytime rooms (e.g. kitchen, living room, wc, office space) runs between the two areas.
Model of my building showing the cube in which bedrooms are located, oen on upper floor and two on lower, as well as a large wc/bath. The reason for the rotation of the cube is the long horizontal window on the upper floor, which is directed at a beautiful mountain cliff in the town landscape.
a
b
c
d
Random views: a)seen from entrance corridor to kitchen, over a courtyard decorated with lava-stone, b)entrance corridor seen to gallery entrance, c)main entrance (left) to private house seen from gallery wall, d) gallery wall seen from courtyard, low window sends indirect light into gallery/workspace.
Random Projects
Haugum Competition
Freelance project I worked on with X-form Architects (Norway). The aim was to change the facade of a residential housing complex using energy-saving elements, as well as finding a solution for an elevator. South-facade is enlarged and an inside/outside balcony is achived with sliding windows. Solarcells are located under the windows.
Original facade top left; balcony window unit with solar cells on top right. Autumn colors that are visual on the north facade connects the landscape to the building, shown in center. External elevator solution at bottom left/center. Sunpath diagram bottom right.
Work related / modeling
Modelling project I worked on under internship at ASK Arkitektar (Iceland). This project came third place in a competition for new headquarters for Landsbankinn, an Icelandic bank.
Model done for ASK Arkitektar, of a renovated elementary school in a small town called Garรฐur, southwest Iceland. New building aimed at connecting the school and the sports facilities.
The Treehouse
Concept idea I got while wandering through Norwegian woods. Basic idea is that the building mass is hidden behind the trees, and only the balconies are visible, like treehouses. It stands on columns (a metaphor for trees), and the outer facade is covered with light and dark colored wood.
Entrance on the 1st floor with a staircase in 2 directions which lead you to the 2nd floor. Irregularily positioned windows in staircase and hallway give a feeling of being in the woods. Balcony/courtyard in the middle, which all bedrooms and living room have access to with sliding doors. Visible balconies from the kitchen and bathroom.
Hveragerdi Competition
A competition done with 2 fellow classmates, on a new central plan for Hveragerรฐi, a small town in southern Iceland. The aim was to strengthen the image of the town for future tourists and other people seeking the health benefits of the surrounding geothermal area.
Our idea was to make the central area more urban and more dense. We wanted a central square (see purple color code) that would bind the town together, and yet hold all the elements that make this the small town it is. We wanted a live center with a combination of apartments on top floors and shops, cafĂŠs and galleries on bottom floors.
Lakehouse
storage room toilet sleeping area kitchen area
Concept idea of a lakehouse. Sleeping and kitchen quarters inside, and an inside/outside area with a storage room and bathroom on each side of the entrance. The roof floats over the water surface, with space for keeping a boat underneath it. The boat can only be accessed by walking trough the house. Materials are concrete and wood.
Silver of the sea
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Concept idea for a ceiling light. I use the way the herring moves in large groups and translate it into rings that are repeated around each other. A common Icelandic phrase for herring is “silver of the sea�. Material of choice is aluminium.
Harvest cabin
A concept idea for a farm accommodation for a single night. Travellers can rest in a small cabin that looks like a hey harvest roll, which is so common in the farming landscape. Animals roam freely around it. The cabin is made of a suitable white polyurethane material covered with a tent layer with a hay motive, that is slightly transparent.
Jewelry competition
= = = Jewelry competion for the Icelandic jewelry designer Hendrikka Waage. This set includes a necklace, earrings, bracelet and a ring. Material of choice is white gold and red zircon that is formed as a flower on all pieces.
Installation
From a course called “Art in the public space�. The idea is to work with the imagination of the viewer. The piece is in the middle of the Icelandic highlands where it does not naturally belong.
Book pavillion
25째 A concept idea for a book pavillion with an underground corridor that leads into the cube on the surface. The cube is decorated with two layers of punctured aluminum plates that make an ornament of light on the outer facade when one plate is rotated 25 degrees.
Banana container
From a “bending wood� course. I used the form of the banana to make my piece. The work process is shown, whic includes modelling the many layers of wood glued around the pipe, pressing it for a week and then it is polished and oiled.
Bicycle racks competition
Competition for bicycle solutions in ReykjavĂk. The solution pictured here doubles as a flowerpot to increase the green in the gray city landscape; I use the plant Barley to hide the bike rack. Material of choice is a gravel-filled steel-frame in the exact dimensions as the pavement system. The bike can be locked to a green steel rod.
Bicycle racks competition
Competition for bicycle solutions in ReykjavĂk. Pictured here is a shelter from rain/snow made from glossy steel: white on outside, lime-green on inside. Bikes are stabilized with the front tire in a hole on a ramp 20° off the ground.
Bicycle racks competition
Open competition for bicycle solutions in ReykjavĂk: solution for a pit-stop on a bicycle path. A lime-green shell is fastened on street lights, with two arms for stabilizing the bicycle during reparation. Inside the shell you find a pump and basic reparing tools.
Bicycle racks competition
Competition for bicycle solutions in ReykjavĂk. Here a tree is used as a centerpiece; a chrome-steel frame in different colors is bent to create a living shape around the tree. Can at most serve as a rack for 12 bikes.
Sketches & 3d models