Architect rejects hotel tower comparison with Hallgrímskirkja

An architect has called it far-fetched to compare a partly built 17-storey Radisson hotel tower on Skúlagata with Hallgrímskirkja, one of the city’s main landmarks, mbl.is reports. The Scottish architect Tony Kettle had intended the buildings to engage with one another.

Andrés Narfi Andrésson, an architect who has written about Hallgrímskirkja’s construction history and status as a landmark, said the tower was more likely to relate to other towers on Skúlagata. He described the comparison with the church as “almost absurd”.

Construction on the tower, which has drawn criticism over its size and design, was halted last week. The project’s future and financing remain uncertain.

Ivar Pálsson, a Supreme Court attorney and former chief legal officer for Reykjavík’s planning and building department, said the city’s building official has enforcement powers under the law. These could include daily fines or completing the work at the developer’s expense.

However, Pálsson said demolition would require significant grounds and was very unlikely. He said he did not know what basis there might be for such an outcome.