Introduction

The concept of the exhibition is based on the Danish Kolonihave-tradition where allotment gardens played an important part in the life of many citizens earlier in the 20th century.
The cultivation of vegetables produced a welcome supplement to the diet of many families and helped the thousands of people, who had just left the countryside for a better life in the city, to retain their contact with the land by working the soil in their small gardens.
Today traditional allotment gardens, like Vennelyst in close proximity to Copenhagen, are once again popular with people og all ages.

Although the concept is based on local cultural traditions, the exhibition is above all an important international event in the field of architecture. The eighteen participants are all world-renowned architects and their works represent the wide variety of approaches to design which characterises the contemporary scene in architecture.

The fact that they are all working on the same small project gives one a rare opportunity for comparison, and the limited scope and playful nature of the project makes the exhibition an easily understood and very effective introduction to contemporary architectural thoughts.

Eir’kur Thorl‡ksson
Director Reykjavik Art Museum
Reykjavik Cultural Capital 2000