Luxury Hotel and Apartments by Harpa Conference Center
Today US-based Carpenter & Company purchased the building rights for a hotel next to the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre at the old harbor site in downtown Reykjavik. Mannvit and T.ark architects have been contracted for design and construction management.
Carpenter & Company is one of the most accomplished hotel developers in the United States with projects operated by a diverse group of operators including St. Regis, Four Seasons, Marriott, Hyatt and Starwood. Construction is expected to begin late 2015 with the hotel opening its doors early 2018. At a press conference today Mayor of Reykjavik, Dagur B. Eggertsson said “A hotel of this kind has from the outset been in the plans for the development of the harbor site” adding “Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre and the development of the site is an important element to make the City an ideal destination for conferences and cultural events internationally.”
The total investment in the project is estimated to be ISK 14bn. In total there will be 250 rooms in the hotel and 90 apartments and shops in the five residential buildings built next to the hotel. Mannvit will be responsible for project management and the overall supervision of the project. Planning and preliminary design works have already begun. “In this project we are taking on new challenges as an engineering and technical firm by managing the entire project from start to finish, i.e. bid submission, financing, negotiations with the hotel operator, engineering, tendering, procurement, construction management, supervision and delivery of the buildings”, according to Tryggvi Jónsson, Managing Director of Infrastructure at Mannvit.
Carpenter will construct the 5-star hotel on the site and subsequently put its operations in the hands of a leading global hotel operator. At the press conference Richard L. Friedman, Manager of Carpenter & Company said, "We're going to build the best hotel in Iceland” he added, "I've been to Iceland on several occasions and I love the country. My wife goes to Whole Foods every day to buy Icelandic products like skyr, lamb and salmon. The food here is fantastic and the people are fantastic. It's one of the most beautiful harbors in the world and one of the best cities. I think we will be able to build a great addition to this stunning building," he said, referring to the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre next door.
First Class Hotel
The hotel at Austurhofn downtown harbor is the designated conference hotel for the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre. It will be the first 5 star hotel in Iceland. Spread over six floors and a basement, at approximately 16400 m², the hotel will have 250 rooms, restaurant and bars, meeting rooms, ballroom, spa and other amenities expected in a 5 star hotel. Adjacent to the hotel, between the hotel and Harpa, an underground car carpark will be constructed.
Apartment and Retail Building
The building is located on the Reykjavík harbor area in the city center, right next to the new hotel and Harpa concert hall. The approximately 13400 m² building is composed of a ground floor, which runs along the three streets around the site. Most of the ground floor is planned for commercial use such as retail and restaurants except for entrances to the apartments. Above the ground floor are five floors of apartments in five separate buildings. They form a courtyard which is sheltered from the streets around and is a garden for the local residents.