Located amidst the fjord landscape, Glasir Tórshavn College sits in the capital of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn. This innovative architectural project was conceived to integrate the country's main educational institutions into a single building.
With overlapping volumes organized around a central courtyard as a vortex, its five floors radiate above a topography that unfolds over the mountainous landscape, creating a visual connection with the surroundings and making the architecture merge with the fjord geography through the glass facade and zenithal openings, which provide natural light while protecting the building from harsh local climatic conditions.
The main entrance is accessed by a suspension bridge that crosses the site's geography, culminating in the 32-meter diameter internal courtyard. The rhizomatic structure designed by BIG is an interpretation of the natural landscape of the North Atlantic archipelago, with its "tentacles" extending throughout the territory. The building's organization, with its stepped levels, softens the structure's verticality, spreading it across the terrain to mimic the region's geography.
The use of materials such as stone, exposed concrete, and wood in the interiors reflects the beauty and brutality of the local landscape. Over time, the vegetation on the terraces will blend with the terrain's topography, creating an increasingly strong connection between the building and its natural environment, as an extension of the landscape.