Background and experience
Vignir Freyr Helgason is a PhD research fellow at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), affiliated with the Institute of Urbanism and Landscape. His PhD research project, Mapping, Managing, and Developing Place Qualities, is approached from an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective combining urbanism and heritage approaches. He holds a master’s degree (Cand.Arch.) in architecture from the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen and an executive master’s degree in architectural heritage from AHO.
Vignir’s experience spans the private and public sectors, involving practical, strategic, and theoretical work. He has worked on architecture and planning projects at architectural firms in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway, as well as with urban heritage at the Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway (Riksantikvaren). He has written and lectured on topics such as the transformation of architecture and industrial heritage and the strategic and sustainable management and development of cultural environments. His architectural portfolio exemplifies a variety of methodologies such as adaptive reuse, transformation and restoration of existing buildings, and planning projects that deal with different types of social- and material contexts.
As an educator, Vignir has regularly lectured and served as a guest critic at AHO across bachelor-, master- and executive master's programmes in architecture and urbanism. He has also been invited as a guest lecturer, critic, and guest teacher at the Iceland University of the Arts (LHÍ) for bachelor's and master's programs in architecture. In addition, he has supervised students in bachelor's and master's thesis writing in architecture at LHÍ and planning at the Agricultural University of Iceland (LBHÍ).
Further information here.