Visitor's Centre opens
The Concert and Conference Centre (CCC) Visitors’ Centre has been formally opened. The function of the Visitors’ Centre is to provide guests with information on the construction and proposed operations in the Concert and Conference Centre (CCC), which Iceland Prime Contractor is currently building on the harbour in downtown Reykjavík.
From the Visitors’ Centre, which is situated on the 4th floor of the CCC complex and affords a spectacular view to the north and the south, guests can experience at first hand the changing face of the city centrum as the new buildings are constructed. By watching the rapid progress of the development project currently underway and getting a bird’s-eye view of the city life below, visitors can envision how Reykjavík will be transformed once the harbour and the downtown area are linked up once again.
The exhibition at the Visitors’ Centre uses verbal and graphic elements to acquaint guests with the background of the design and construction process and the main participants in the project. Innumerable factors have been considered during the course of the project, including architecture, engineering, usage possibilities, and aesthetics.
A number of models of the buildings and the immediate surroundings are on display, as are the actual models used by artist Ólafur Elíasson as he designed the glass shell. Viewing the models gives guests a feel for the two- and three-dimensional prisms that will encase the building. Also on display is Ljósaveggur (Wall of Light), a work of art by Ólafur Elíasson, which is structured so as to cast 24 hours of Icelandic summertime light in a single hour. The effect of this unique work of art is indescribable.
By examining the new development plans for the centre of the city, guests can gain a better perspective on the appearance of downtown Reykjavík after completion of the development project and can see where motor vehicle traffic will be channelled under the ground, giving priority to people rather than automobiles at ground level. The high point of the exhibition is a 10-metre-high window that faces north and gives visitors a chance to relax and take in the construction site and the panorama beyond.
In addition, exhibition guests can learn about the Concert and Conference Centre’s multi-faceted musical and conference-related activities, many of which must be planned long in advance.
