STÚDENTABLAÐIÐ
Gróska
Hús hugmyndanna House of ideas GREIN ARTICLE Atli Freyr Þorvaldsson ÞÝÐING TRANSLATION Julie Summers MYNDIR PHOTOS Sædís Harpa Stefánsdóttir
Innovation Week was held from September 30 to October 7 and involved all sorts of events, lectures, and exhibitions related to innovation – all online! The week began with a ceremony in Gróska, the new large, imposing building south of Askja, which now seems small in comparison. According to the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic, the word gróska means “powerful growth,” and it’s a fitting name, as Gróska is the latest addition to the Vísindagarðar complex and is intended to be a hub for business growth and innovation. Vísindagarðar also includes the building that houses deCODE Genetics and Alvotech/Alvogen, as well as Mýrargarður, the newest student residence hall. Gróska is located at Bjargargata 1, a new road in Vatnsmýri. The road is named for Björg C. Þorláksson, the first Icelandic woman ever to complete a PhD. NO ORDINARY OFFICE BUILDING
Nýsköpunarvikan var haldin dagana 30. september – 7. október. Í henni voru haldnir ýmis konar viðburðir, fyrirlestrar og sýningar tengd nýsköpun, allt á netinu! Setningarathöfn hennar var haldin í Grósku, tilkomumikilli og stórri byggingu sunnan við Öskju, sem virðist smá í samanburði. Orðið gróska merkir „kröftugur vöxtur“ skv. íslenskri nútímamáls orðabók og er það mjög lýsandi nafn, því byggingin er nýjasta viðbótin við Vísindagarða og er hugsuð fyrir frumkvöðla og nýsköpunarstarfsemi. Á Vísindagörðum höfðu áður risið hús Íslenskrar erfðagreiningar og Alvotech/Alvogen, ásamt Mýrargarði, þar sem nýjustu stúdenta íbúðirnar eru. Gróska stendur við Bjargargötu 1, nýja götu í Vatns mýrinni, en götuheitið er kennt við Björgu C. Þorláksson, fyrstu íslensku konuna sem lauk doktorsprófi, en það var í sálfræði. EKKI NEIN VENJULEG SKRIFSTOFUBYGGING Gróska er 17.500 m2 að stærð og á fjórum hæðum. Jarðvinna tók sinn tíma en byggingarframkvæmdir hófust í byrjun ársins 2017. Fólk átti að
Gróska occupies 17,500 square meters on four floors. Excavating the site took time, and construction began in early 2017. The building was supposed to be ready at the end of last year, but as often happens with such plans, there were delays. From the outside, the building appears complete, but construction is still underway inside. Whether viewed from afar or up close, Gróska is an incredibly beautiful building. It’s made of concrete, with striking wooden siding that will take on a more natural hue as it weathers over time. The black lampposts lining the east and south sides of the building also caught my eye. The building is covered with large windows, a design reminiscent of the building on Hafnartorg that houses the offices of Fréttablaðið. But the people behind Gróska say it is not an office building, but rather “a greenhouse for ideas, where established companies blossom alongside the latest startups.” IMPRESSIVE BOTH INSIDE AND OUT
When you approach the building from Bjargargata, your attention is immediately drawn to the building’s most identifiable feature: a fantastic, massive wall of live plants that even houses some spiders. The plant wall was erected at the beginning of the year and has been flourishing while COVID has been looming over us and while construction was completed both inside and outside. Someone comes to prune the wall regularly! By the western entrance of the house is a sort of
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