Rögnvaldur Ólafsson (5 December 1874, Ytri Húsum in Dyrafjörður – 14 February 1917) was an Icelandic architect. He is often considered the first Icelandic architect, even though he never completed formal studies in architecture. He studied at the

Copenhagen Technical College NEXT Education Copenhagen former Copenhagen Technical College ( Danish: NEXT Uddannelse København or just NEXT, former Københavns Tekniske Skole, KTS) is a school of secondary education in Copenhagen, Denmark. The school offers educational progr ...

from 1901 to 1904 but was unable to complete his studies due to tuberculosis. He struggled from tuberculosis for the remainder of his life, ultimately dying from the disease at the age of 42. Rögnvaldur's designs were influenced by the

Swiss chalet style Swiss chalet style (, ) is an architectural style of Historicism (art), Late Historicism, originally inspired by rural chalets in Switzerland and the Alps, Alpine (mountainous) regions of Central Europe. The style refers to traditional building d ...

and

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

. Despite his illness and a short life, Rögnvaldur was considered a prolific and influential Icelandic architect. Some of his notable works include the Postal Office in Reykjavík; the agricultural colleges at Hólar and Hvanneyri; the churches in Keflavík, Hafnarfjörður, and

Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the northeast coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,485 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsav� ...

; and several buildings surrounding

Tjörnin Tjörnin () is a small, prominent lake in central Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Most visitors to the city pass along its shore, as it is situated in the city centre next to the Reykjavik City Hall and several museums. ''Tjörnin'' means "t ...

, a prominent small lake in central Reykjavík.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rognvaldur Olafsson Icelandic architects 1874 births 1917 deaths