Birkimörk Halfway House

This remarkable apartment housing is located in the lowlands of Hveragerði, a small town of about 1700 inhabitants that lies some 45 km east of Reykjavík. Surrounded by an eminent mountain range to the north, the town is conveniently located on the Ring Road, Iceland's most important highway. In 2001, PK Arkitektar was invited by the Ministry of Social Affairs to plan a facility for severe handicapped youngsters in Reykjavík. The project demonstrated to be successful and therefore the studio was again commissioned to design a similar building. The amazing setting for the new house required adjustments and reorganization. From the beginning, it was clear to the architects that the task was to create a home rather than simply an institution for handicapped youngsters. The architectural appearance is simplistic and characterized by a sincere and clear composition of two white blocks with different heights and separated by a distribution corridor.