In Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, you can see some very unusual architectural solutions. For me, the first place is certainly the opera, concert hall and congress center Harpa.

I first got to know this unusual and impressive building a few years ago as the Reykjavík Opera House. Even today, after many visits to Iceland and Reykjavik, when I talk about it, I call it the Harpa Opera House.

Located on the Atlantic coast, Harpa is impressive. The glass structure is made of hexagonal glass elements in several shades.

The unusualness of the facade is completed by LED lighting, which gives Harpa the impression that the colors are overflowing and that the sun is reflecting off its edges. This design is imprinted with glaciers and ice cliffs from which the sun shines in various colors from seemingly random places.

The hexagonal elements are also inspired by the balsatic columns that form when lava fields cool and begin to erode. Iceland is famous for these basalt columns. You will find the hexagonal design of these pillars in many places. The harp is one of the most beautiful examples of how nature's works of art can be copied onto human creations.

The interior of the Harpa is impressive in a whole new way. The glass elements let in just enough natural light and refract it in such a way that the great hall of the opera resembles tunnels and caves that are formed by the natural process of ice melting under the glacier. These caves are a widely known tourist attraction, and you can feel part of the feeling and impression of these sub-glacial caves in the Harpa Opera building.

The opera house is a wonderful example of how human ingenuity can apply the most beautiful scenes from nature in its buildings. Harpa is visited annually by over half a million tourists. Unfortunately, I never attended one of the concerts. I always travel to Iceland without a precise plan of where and when I will be due to the changing weather conditions.

That's why I'm sometimes in Reykjavík for just a few hours. This year I was in Reykjavík for a day and a half, but all events in Harpa were completely sold out in those two days. It's a shame, in the opera bar I heard that the acoustics of the concert hall are among the best in the world, as well as that the Iceland Symphony Orchestra is excellent.
I hope to hear them one day.

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