ARCHITECTURE &
ENGINEERING
Margrét Halla Valdimarsdóttir
Who am I?
Ever since I can remember, my dream has been to design. At a young age I became fascinated with interior design and architecture. When my friends and I were playing the video game Sims, all I wanted to do was design the living spaces while they all wanted to get on with playing the game.
Work Experience
2022
Design Competition - Inspireli Awards
Project: New port in Beirut I participated in this competition with my collegue from Polimi.
Our project received finalist awards in the catagories “Architecture” and “Urban Design”.
2022
Internship
Design Competition with sastudio
Project: Urban design, new neighbourhood in Akranes, Iceland I participated in this competition with sastudio and HJARK studio.
The project was an open competition held by Akranes town. Our proposal was purchased by Akranes.
2020
Design Competition with sastudio and HJARK studio
Project: Kindergarten and Family center in downtown Reykjavík I participated in this competition with two other fellow graduates as well as sastudio and HJARK studio. The project was an open competition held by Reykjavík city. Our proposal was purchased by Reykjavík.
2020
Design Competition with Bjarke Ingels Group
Project: Confidential
Worked as a contractor on a confidential project for BIG.
2020
Design Competition with sastudio
Project: Nursing home in Húsavík I participated in this competition with one other student as well as the Portuguese Architecture firm, sastudio.
The project was an open competition held by the Icelandic government. Our proposal received a jury mention award.
Education
2020-2023
Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to M.Sc.)
Building and Architectural Engineering
Politecnico di Milano
My time at PoliMi was perhaps the most enlightening period in my life. The breadth of subjects covered in the program was astounding. I reveled in the various challenges it brought, from Structural Design to the physics of Sustainable Buildings to large scale design methodologies. I feel fortunate for having been able to choose a course of study merging Architecture and Engineering, which are found all too often, at odds with one another.
2017-2020
Bachelor of Arts
Architecture
Iceland University of the Arts
During the three years of my Bachelor's degree in architecture I learned how complex architecture really is. A great emphasis was placed on the choice of materials, sustainability as well as the social aspects of architecture where we would study Jan Gehl and Jane Jacobs among others. Our projects were only focused on the Icelandic scene. After finishing my Bachelor's degree I knew I wanted to study abroad in order to broaden my horizons.
Diploma
One-Year Foundation Programme
The Reykjavík School of Visual Arts
This one-year program was great preparation for the architectural study. The program was composed of different classical basic courses of art, together with conceptual work and history. We practiced technical drawing skills both using a pencil and computer programs and we learned the importance of understanding the historical context one is working within. Focus was placed on the student's independence in conceptual work and implementation.
2011-2015
High school Diploma
Physics Programme II
Reykjavik College
I knew from an early age that I wanted to be an architect and I believed that a background in physics and mathematics would aid me immeasurably.