Perlan
Perlan ( Isl. The pearl ) is a hot water storage tank in Iceland's capital Reykjavík . It was designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson and opened in 1991. The city is supplied with hot water from here, including the sidewalks and streets, which are heated in winter.
Perlan is located on Öskjuhlíð hill south of the city center by Reykjavík Airport . There had been hot water storage tanks on the site for several decades. According to plans that go back to 1930 (originally developed by Johannes Kjarval ), the six aluminum tanks were covered with a glass dome. Lamps create the illusion of a starry sky, mirrors reflect the sky and, more often, polar lights into the interior of the building. An artificial geyser was also built in the building, which erupts every few minutes.
One of the tanks was drained and housed a saga museum until 2014. On the roof of the tanks there is a viewing platform that allows a view over Reykjavík and far into the country. There is a revolving restaurant on the top floor so that you can also enjoy the panoramic view while eating.
Since July 2017 the building has been home to the Museum of Iceland's Natural Wonders, with an artificial glacier and ice cave, designed and built by Susan Christianen and Johan Larsson. The opening of a planetarium and other exhibitions on Icelandic nature was planned for 2018.
Politically, the construction of the building is owed to the then mayor of Reykjavík, Davíð Oddsson , who later became Prime Minister of Iceland.
technology
The hot water tanks - five of the six are still in operation - each hold up to four million liters of hot water at a temperature of around 85 ° C. Due to its elevated position on the hill Öskjuhlíð (61 m), Perlan can supply all buildings in Reykjavík with energy from hot water without additional pumps.
The warm water for Reykjavík is taken from around 70 boreholes in Reykjavík, Mosfellsbær and Nesjavellir, which mostly reach between 500 m and 2000 m in depth. A large part of the thermal energy can be obtained directly from geothermal energy .
The building is 25.7 m high. The glass dome on the roof consists of 1176 window elements, 942 light bulbs create the illusion of a starry sky. From the outside, the building is illuminated with 58 spotlights.
Web links
- Official homepage (Eng., Isl.)
- Reykjavík's heating system
Coordinates: 64 ° 7 ′ 45 ″ N , 21 ° 55 ′ 9 ″ W.