curating architecture news, competitions and events from around the world
Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN

Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects

The clients approached Trípólí with a view to building a small extension on a plot of land originally intended for a garage

The clients approached Trípólí with a view to building a small extension on a plot of land originally intended for a garage. The extension would incorporate two bedrooms, a bathroom and a new and inviting entryway to their modest modernist masterpiece.

Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN

The original house was designed in 1952 by the first Icelandic modernist architect, Gunnlaugur Halldórsson, and construction was completed in 1955. The house featured among other properties in the 1959 publication Íslenzk Íbúðarhús , where it was depicted in iconic pictures by photographer Andrés Kolbeinsson.

Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN

The Trípólí project entailed a complete renovation and expansion of this single-family home. The facades were restored to their original state, with the sole addition of a single white sloping dividing wall between the garden terrace and the driveway. The interior was updated to meet the needs and wishes of the new inhabitants by interior architect Rut Kára.

Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN
Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN
Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN

The strategy was to ensure that the extension did not overwhelm the original structure, and so we chose a black exterior in order to accentuate the white architecture of the existing building. During the design process we identified and called upon architectural themes from the original building to solve various architectural questions and challenges.

Ægisíða 44 by Tríopólí Architects
Photograph © Studio CAPN

Both structures have a single sloped roof and in order to emphasise the point of contact between them, the roof of the extension slopes in the opposite direction resulting in a high and bright space between the two structures, with daylight coming in from three directions. The split-levels in the existing building are themed and the complicated internal landscape of the original structure continues into the extension, creating a continuous sequence of spaces in varying sizes and proportions.

Ægisíða 44 | Project Details

  • Architects: Tríopólí Architects
  • Area:  255 sq.m.
  • Year:  2019
  • Photographs:  Studio CAPN
  • City:  Reykjavik
  • Country:  Iceland
  • Credits:
    Interior Design: Rut Kára
    Team: AGLA, JDÁ

    Program
    LOCATION
    apartmentmagnifiercrossmenuchevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram