Team KCAP reveals winning masterplan for Icelandic airport

The team was led by KCAP and included WSP, Felixx, MIC Mobility in Chain, VSO Consulting, Buck Consultants International, Buro Happold, Base Design, Maurits Schaafsma, Amberg Loglay and Kanon Arkitektar. The second and third prizes were awarded to Arup and Jacobs respectively.

The masterplan seeks to transform strategic locations in the Keflavík airport area, with collaborative development between public and private sectors, to showcase Iceland’s ambitious economic development and sustainability potential.  Catalyst sites were chosen in the vicinity of Keflavik because of its plentiful supply of renewable energy and the captivating landscape of the Reykjanes UNESCO Geopark.

The chosen locations form a polycentric urban archipelago, connected by the landscape of the Airport Corridor. They will facilitate diversification into new sectors such as the production of green hydrogen, electric aviation, hi-tech agriculture and marine aquaculture.

Landscape innovation will be deployed to integrate climate mitigation. Tapping into the government’s climate action plan that identifies reforestation as a top priority, the landscape concept connects the Airport Corridor into a national network of reforestation projects. 

The masterplan envisages that the local public transport system (Keflavík-Reykjavík Link) will connect the airport area’s urban nodes for users. It also works to ensure that the airport and local communities of Reykjanesbær and Suðurnesjabær grow together in a mutually beneficial manner. With that in mind, Team KCAP’s proposal emphasises projects that have a strong local ownership and respond to existing needs.

Once developed, Team KCAP anticipates that the Keflavík Airport Area will attract new high-value companies and create opportunities for a diverse workforce.