Emerging from a former Industrial region, the vision for the new neighborhood fosters the connection between the sea and the city. The unique The design primes for a new sustainable neighborhood that reconnects the city life to nature while becoming a valuable anchor point for Akranes.
The ambition of the project is to create a district that will act as a laboratory for future urban development, that exemplifies how sustainable housing development can be combined with circular resource thinking, and social diversity.
The masterplan structure is followed by four main superblocks that break down the perimeter block into finer grained scale towards the sea, enhancing a human scaled and walkable environment. Inside the urban grid, walking and cycling are prioritised by shifting the street network and creating social rooms in the public realm. The massing grows into a dense center, where a plaza functions as a city-wide public space surrounded by everyday services.
The project forms a complex ecosystem that addresses climate change mitigation, water storage, microclimate and ecology. It represents the ambition to develop a truly sustainable neighbourhood not only through environmental and financial value, but also social value, by creating a framework for empowering families and developing a sense of community, where people become part of a shared local eco-system.
