Celebration marks opening of new housing cluster

Ritstjórn
Photo of the front of the new housing cluster at Brekknaás

Over the next few weeks, six residents will move into a new housing cluster at Brekknaás in Árbær. The housing cluster was specially designed to meet residents' needs and provide on-site support. The housing cluster occupies 665 square meters on a single floor. It includes six residential units, each about 60 square meters, plus shared space for resident services.

Félagsbústaðir Social Housing formally handed over the housing cluster to Reykjavík City today. At the ceremony, Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir received the keys from Sigrún Árnadóttir, executive director of Félagsbústaðir Social Housing. Heiða said she was proud of recent development, noting that Reykjavík City has opened 21 housing clusters for disabled people since 2018. She congratulated the future residents and said she was grateful to share the moment when people receive the keys to their new homes.

Collaboration key to ensuring quality

Sigrún said she was equally pleased with the outcome of the construction project. "We all worked hard to meet the needs of the residents. The architects — Eva Huld Friðriksdóttir, Magnea Guðmundsdóttir and Birta Fróðadóttir — did an outstanding job. That goes for everyone involved in this project," she says.

The mayor and chair of the Welfare Council hand over the keys to the housing cluster director.
Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir borgarstjóri og Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir, formaður velferðarráðs, afhenda Stefaníu Smáradóttur forstöðumanni lyklana að kjarnanum. 

The residents' special needs were a key consideration in the design of the building. A needs assessment group was formed, including the architects and representatives from Félagsbústaðir Social Housing, Reykjavík City's Department of Welfare and Þroskahjálp. Residents and their families, together with the cluster’s director and other directors within the Department of Welfare, were directly involved in the process. The needs assessment guided decisions about material selection, acoustic requirements, natural light control, wayfinding and more. Various specialized solutions were also developed.

Three clusters under construction or in planning 

Since 2018, Reykjavík City has opened 21 housing clusters for disabled people. Félagsbústaðir Social Housing currently has two housing clusters under construction. One is at Nauthólsvík 83, which is expected to be ready next summer, and the other is in Stefnisvogur, which is set to open in the first quarter of 2026. Construction on a new building at Stekkjabakki is set to begin in 2026.