Harpa in the heart of Reykjavik

Harpa in the heart of Reykjavik – where guests can "meet in the middle"

Harpa's location is exceptionally good in the very heart of the city of Reykavik. Harpa is one of Reykjavík's most striking landmarks and a centre of cultural and social life with the city's best restaurants, bars, cafés, shops and hotels in Harpa's immediate surroundings.

Air transport to and from Iceland is ideal for international conferences were guests can "meet in the middle" as Iceland is located between Europe and America. Flight durations are approximately 2.5 hours from London, 3 hours from Copenhagen and 5 hours from New York City. There are 24 airlines that offer direct flights to Iceland from 74 destinations (airports).  Keflvík international airport is only a 45-minute drive from downtown Reykjavík. There are over thirty 3-5 star hotels in the city center. Harpa is in the "harbor district" where there are about 15 hotels within a 3-10 minute walk.

 

An award-winning work of art

Harpa is an award-winning work of art that has been visited by millions of people since opening in 2011. Despite its young age Harpa has already received numerous awards, both for its architecture and as a concert and conference venue. These include the highly respected Mies van der Rohe -European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Award, which Harpa won in 2013. Harpa was rewarded as the Best Conference Centre in Europe by Business Destination magazine in 2016.

The building's beautiful glass facade, designed by Ólafur Elíasson together with Henning Larsen Architects, is one of the largest works of art in the world. Ólafur Elíasson is a world-renowned artist who has held numerous exhibitions around the world, both alone and in collaboration with others. When designing the cover, he was guided by designing a surface that would bear witness to and become part of Icelandic nature. The facade is made up of so-called Quasi bricks that are over 2 meters high and 1.2 meters wide. They have windows that cast different colors depending on how light hits them. They make the building glow, reacting to weather, season, daylight and audience location.