Sports: 2,300 for basketball and handball (main hall) Concerts: 3,000 seated or 5,500 with standing (main hall) 5,000 seated or 10,000 standing (athletics center)
Laugardalshöll (Icelandic pronunciation:[ˈlœyːɣarˌtalsˌhœtl̥]; also known as Laugardalshöllin[-ˌhœtlɪn] and Laugardalsholl Sport Center) is a multi-purpose sports and exhibition venue located in the Laugardalur district of Iceland's capital Reykjavík. The complex consists of two main venues, a sports hall and indoor arena for track and field athletics events.
Opened on 4 December 1965, it hosts a variety of sporting events, such as handball, basketball, volleyball and athletics, as well as various other events as a general purpose venue. The capacity of the main hall, Laugardalshöllin, is currently 2,300 for basketball and handball and around 3,000 seated (or 5,500 with standing) for concerts. It also serves as the home arena to the Icelandic national teams (both male and female) in basketball and handball.
It was the largest concert venue in Iceland for many decades (before the opening of Egilshöll), with a maximum standing capacity of 10,000 (or 5,000 seated) in Frjálsíþróttahöllin, the adjoined athletics center.
History
Construction and opening
Laugardalshöllin was designed by architect Gísli Halldórsson and Skarphéðinn Jóhannsson in early 1959 and built by the City Reykjavík and the Reykjavík Sports Association [is] (ÍBR). Construction of the building originally started on 29 August 1959 but was largely halted shortly afterwards due to lack of funds. Following a new tender process in Spring 1961, work resumed in August that year but was again stopped this time due to strikes by various unions.[2] The arena's roofvault was eventually cast over four days in September 1963 and the venue was finally completed on opening day in 1965. The first event held in the arena, a handball match, took place on Saturday 4 December 1965 between the Reykjavík team and the Czech team HCB Karviná, who came to Iceland at the invitation of sports club Knattspyrnufélagið Fram.[3]
Later expansions
The first extension was built on the east side of the building to increase the number of spectator seats to around 5,500 for the 1995 World Men's Handball Championship. After the tournament, the extension was converted into a small gym for basketball but now houses conference and storage rooms.[2]
In September 2004, it was announced that a 7,000 m2 extension would be built next to Laugardalshöllin designed specifically for athletics but can also host other events.[4] Opened in November 2005, the venue includes a 200-meter running track. At the same time, maintenance and renovations also took place in the main arena's building which reopened in early September 2005 after being closed during the summer months.[5] Further renovation work and major repairs was carried out across several months in 2022 and 2023. New parquet flooring was installed, following significant damage caused by a hot water leak in November 2020, polished and later revarnished alongside new seating in the spectator stands, lighting and a sound system that meets modern requirements for sports competitions.[6][7]
Proposal for new venue
In 2017, the ÍBR Congress agreed to launch a feasibility study on the construction of a new multi-purpose sports hall,[8] but this was rejected for cost reasons. It has been pointed out that the Laugardalshöllin does not meet modern sports standards and is in fact "obsolete and illegal" for international handball and basketball competitions but are played in the hall due to an exemption from international federations.[9] Issues with the existing venue include the "security area", the floor area which is too small and insufficient access for journalists, media and spectators.[10]
In January 2020 Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, appointed a working group to make proposals for a new "national stadium for indoor sports". Initial proposals were expected to be submitted before May of that year.[11] In April 2022, a committee concluded that a new venue should have either a seated capacity of 5,000 or 8,600 (expandable up to 12,000 for concerts), which would satisfy the requirements needed for handball and basketball. The smaller venue would cost 7.9 billion ISK, while the larger one would cost 8.7 billion ISK. The new arena would be concurrent with Norway's Trondheim Spektrum. The city has reserved 2 billion ISK for the project.[12] In May, the city and the government agreed to making a new arena for the national teams that would be shared with sports clubs Þróttur and Ármann as-well as the schools in the neighbourhood. The city would cover cost equal to the needs of the schools and sports clubs and the government covers cost of any additional facilities needed by the national teams. A construction committee will handle the project, ask for designs and the arena was expected to be fully constructed by 2025.[13]
In January 2023, the estimated cost estimate was increased to 14.2 billion ISK and a decision was made to build a new venue with a capacity of 8,600. The building is planned just south of existing Laugardalshöll buildings with a connecting building in-between them.[14] In March Reykjavík announced a new site plan, featuring the positioning of the venue.[15][16] In September 2023, the chairman of the preparations committee for the new venue updated the estimate of finishing construction to either the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, stating that the venue will not be built by the end of 2025.[17] On 8 March 2024, the government and Reykjavik announced a competition for the construction and design of the new venue, with the winner being chosen in June and advertised it in the European Economic Area. Each proposal needs to consist of an architect/designer, engineer and a contractor, an unusual practice in Iceland. The winning proposal is expected to be announced in January 2025.[18] In August, the Icelandic Planning Agency concluded that the proposed venue would not require an environmental impact assessment.[19] In December 2024, three teams consisting of local and international companies were announced as those selected to take part in the competitive tender.[20]
It is planned that the new 8,600-seat "national hall" will be put into use between 2027 and 2028, in the hope that it could host matches of the World Men's Handball Championship in 2031 as part of a joint bid with Denmark and Norway; it is a prerequisite to meet the tournament’s minimum requirements for hosting.[21][22] The cost of the project is now estimated to be around 15 billion ISK.[23]
Events
Friendly international handball match between Iceland and France in April 2010
On 14 November 2009, the "National Assembly", the first step of a constitutional reform process, was held here. It gathered 1500 citizens, of which 1200 were randomly picked from the national register.[27] It produced a document listing the main principles of the island nation.
From 2007 to 2011, it also hosted CCP Games' EVE Online annual 'Fanfest'. The event returned in 2022.
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