Perlan
Ingimundur Sveinsson · Reykjavík, Iceland · 1991
Perlan transforms Reykjavík’s utilitarian geothermal-water infrastructure into one of the city’s most recognizable public landmarks. Designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson and inaugurated in 1991, a large glass dome and steel framework span between six existing hot-water storage tanks on Öskjuhlíð hill. The project gives the infrastructure a new civic and cultural role while retaining the massive cylindrical tanks as the basis of the composition. Its elevated position and panoramic interior make Perlan a distinctive example of adaptive architectural reuse built directly around municipal energy infrastructure.