Þýðing: Lísa Margrét Gunnarsdóttir

Það lítur bara vel út með lífið hér á Garði,

(It’s looking pretty good, the life here in Garður)

Þótt langt sé enn ei starfið né dvölin okkar hér.

(Though it hasn’t been around for long, nor we)

Oss fór að þykja vænt um hann fyr en nokkurn varði

(We began to care for it sooner than anyone expected)

og finnst hann vera huggulegur, - sem hann líka er.

(and find it charming - which it truly is.)

(From Lífið á Garði by Ragnar Jóhannesson, published in the Student Paper in 1935).

Over the years, students have consistently called for the construction of on-campus housing. In 1934, the University of Iceland’s first student building, Gamli Garður, designed by state building designer Sigurður Guðmundsson, was constructed. Today, 87 years and many student buildings later, this historic building has been renovated and extended, which is a cause for celebration for coming generations. On October 14th, an opening ceremony was held for the extension,marking a new chapter in the history of Gamli Garður.

The military occupation of luxury student housing

The construction of Gamli Garður began in 1930 following various individuals’ voluntary donations, where each contributor was granted the right to name one bedroom in the building. Each bedroom thus has a name, amongst them Ísafjörður, Brjánslækur, Siglufjörður and Akureyri. In its day, Gamli Garður was considered quite luxurious, as each room included its own hand wash basin, which was thought to be exceptionally lavish. The introduction of the building caused a great shift in the living conditions of students, as the building included an auditorium as well as a cafeteria.

When British forces occupied Iceland in the second World War, they set up camp on university grounds. Gamli Garður was amongst the buildings occupied by soldiers at the beginning of the war, and remained so until the war’s end. University authorities, students, media representatives and the Icelandic government harshly criticized the British army and requested that the student building be returned - to no avail, as Gamli Garður continued to serve as a military hospital throughout the war.

Chaos ensued in the University’s main building as a number of students resided there in subpar conditions, and so the occupation of Gamli Garður led to the decision to construct additional student housing. A new building, Nýi Garður, was introduced in 1943, and after it came the steady construction of a student housing union, which came into fruition with the founding of the Student Housing Community (Félagsstofnun Stúdenta).

Disputes regarding design

The City Council of Reykjavík hosted a design competition for Gamli Garður’s renovation, but the winning entry roused substantial criticism. In the spring of 2017, it was announced that Ydda architects and Dagný Design had emerged victorious in the competition, but their suggestions were fiercely criticized due to the design’s overshadowing of the original building. Among those who raised concerns were the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland, The Historic Landmark Committee and the University Council, and following their criticism a decision was made to put the project on hold whilst nominations were re-examined.

The Student Council opposed the decision to halt operations and filed a complaint regarding housing issues, referencing the long waiting lists for student accommodation. In 2019, the City Council announced that the nomination of Andrúm architects, which came in second in the design competition, would be adapted and chosen for the project.

The Andrúm architects designed the new extension with the pre-existing buildings on campus and the National Museum of Iceland in mind. Their report states: “In this regard, it is of utmost importance to note that the two bedroom wings are adjacent to Gamli Garður’s main wing and The National Museum, and their position reinforces the synchronicity and rhythm, which characterizes these two buildings in Hringbraut’s street view.”

Now, two years after construction began, the renovation of Gamli Garður is finally complete. The student building now includes two three-story extensions with a connecting corridor and basement. Furthermore, 69 rooms have been added which include private bathrooms, shared kitchen facilities, living rooms, an auditorium, storage rooms and updated laundry rooms.

Gamli Garður is a truly splendid building with a modern and Scandinavian design, and the students who live there can count themselves lucky.

Gamli Garður’s new extension The ongoing story of the first ever student housing