The house preservation society Torfusamtökin, which campaigns for preserving the old street image on Laugavegur in Reykjavík, proposed this week that the old houses on Laugavegur that were supposed to be demolished be elevated to create more space.
Another story would thus be created that could facilitate shops. The houses would be preserved in their original location and would not stand in the way of increasing of trade and the improvement of daily life on Laugavegur, Torfusamtökin said in a statement.
The proposed alternative would have two floors instead of four and would not block the sunlight in the street, as the planned hotel and shopping center would have, the society argued.
Torfusamtökin stated there is nothing wrong with enlarging old buildings and adapting them to modern housing standards if it is tasteful and with respect to architecture and the limits of each building.
According to the society, its idea is in the spirit of Laugavegur’s historical development where small apartment buildings were already elevated to create more space for stores in the early 1900s.
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