Honnunarsameppni Nursing Center
LOCATION: Höfn, Iceland
PROGRAM: Senior Center, Community facilities
CLIENT: Höfn City
TEAM: sastudio, LucianR, Ásta María Þorsteinsdóttir
Size: 2200 m2
The building is conceived in a way that can simultaneously give the feeling of continuity and fragmentation: searches for an overall image of row houses around a shared courtyard.
Rather than adopting the massive scale of a public building, the design intent pretends to achieve the smaller scale of dwellings, giving the feeling of home ownership and belonging to its users.
The unique natural environment of the place is taken into consideration, every single apartment has a direct view over the Fjords, while all common spaces open towards the exterior terraces and gardens, inviting for outdoor activities.
The Center is comprised of three residential units, the one at the entrance level hosts 12 apartments, and the ones at courtyard level are of 8 and 10 apartments. Nurses’ stations and support rooms are placed between the units and the vertical connections, making work processes highly efficient. Shorter and longer walks around the building with varying visual references and pleasant quiet zones ensure diverse free movement opportunities.