Vesturbugt / The Old Harbour regeneration proposal was developed during an independent public workshop organized in Reykjavík in spring 2025 by architect Rafael Campos de Pinho together with environmental psychologist Páll Jakob Líndal, artist Egill Sæbjörnsson and neighbourhood activist Ásta Olga Magnúsdóttir in response to proposed redevelopment plans for Reykjavík’s historic harbour district. Inspired by the charrette process developed by the Congress for the New Urbanism, the workshop brought residents, architects, planners, politicians and stakeholders together to explore alternative futures for one of the city’s most historically significant sites. Through extensive public debate and the production of physical models, drawings and an immersive VR environment, the project investigated how Vesturbugt could accommodate growth and housing while remaining connected to the human scale, maritime character and architectural continuity that define Reykjavík’s identity.





Proposed reconstruction of Vesturbugt developed during the public charrette, reintroducing the scale, street rhythm and maritime character
historically associated with Reykjavík’s old harbour.
Massing study of the approved redevelopment plan for Vesturbugt, 
illustrating the scale and spatial impact of the proposed perimeter block development 
along Reykjavík’s historic harbour frontage.
Conceptual articulation of the approved massing revealing the likely character 
of the finished development: generic apartment blocks indistinguishable 
from contemporary construction elsewhere in Reykjavík.







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