Studio Granda is a practice of architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

s based in Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

, Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

. It was founded in 1987 by wife and husband team Margrét Hardardóttir (1959, Reykjavík, Iceland) and Steve Christer (1960, Blackfyne, UK). They studied at the Architectural Association in London.

Architectural philosophy

Studio Granda’s work is characterised by a respect for the traditional materials of Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 - stone, sheet metal and timber - and with their sensitive awareness of local context can be linked to the Critical Regionalism

Critical regionalism

Critical Regionalism is an approach to architecture that strives to counter placelessness and lack of identity in Modern Architecture by utilizing the building's geographical context...

 school. The work might also be regarded in the light of the Nordic modernist tradition, typified by architects such as Alvar Aalto

Alvar Aalto

Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...

, Erik Gunnar Asplund

Gunnar Asplund

Erik Gunnar Asplund was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s, and during the last decade of his life as a major proponent of the modernist style which made its breakthrough in Sweden at the Stockholm International Exhibition...

, Sverre Fehn

Sverre Fehn

Sverre Fehn was a Norwegian architect. The architect’s highest international honour came in 1997, when he was awarded both the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal.-Life:...

, and Jørn Utzon

Jørn Utzon

Jørn Oberg Utzon, , AC was a Danish architect, most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime...

.

Important works

Reykjavík City Hall

Ráðhús Reykjavíkur

Ráðhús Reykjavíkur is situated by the Tjörnin in Reykjavík. It houses the offices of the mayor of Reykjavík, a café and a large 3D map of Iceland. It is sometimes used for art exhibitions....

(1987-1992)

Supreme Court of Iceland, Reykjavík (1993-1996):

Reykjavík Art Museum (1997-2000)

Car Park, Kringlan Shopping Centre, Reykjavík (1998-1999)

Bifröst Business School extension, café & quadrangle (2001-2002)

Student Accommodation and research wing at Bifröst Business School (2003-2005)

As well as the building projects listed above, the practice has been involved in a number of infrastructure projects in collaboration with Línuhönnun Consulting Engineers.