University of Iceland Main Building

The University of Iceland (Icelandic: Háskóli Íslands [ˈhauːˌskouːlɪ ˈistlan(t)s]) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about 14,000 students in twenty-five faculties. Teaching and research is conducted in social sciences, humanities, law, medicine, natural sciences, engineering and teacher education. It has a campus concentrated around Suðurgata street in central Reykjavík, with additional facilities located in nearby areas as well as in the countryside.

Háskólatorg (Icelandic pronunciation: ​[ˈhauːˌskouːlaˌtʰɔrk]) is one of the buildings that make up the Reykjavík campus of the University of Iceland. Construction was completed in 2007 and the building now serves as the social centre of the University, housing a cafeteria, a bookstore and as of 2013 a student pub.

The National Museum of Iceland (Icelandic: Þjóðminjasafn Íslands [ˈθjouðˌmɪnjaˌsapn ˈistlan(t)s]) was established on 24 February 1863, with Jón Árnason the first curator of the Icelandic collection, previously kept in Danish museums.

Landsbókasafn Íslands – Háskólabókasafn (Icelandic: [ˈlan(t)sˌpouːkaˌsapn ˈistlan(t)s – ˈhauːˌskouːlaˌpouːkaˌsapn̥]; English: The National and University Library of Iceland) is the national library of Iceland which also functions as the university library of the University of Iceland. The library was established on December 1, 1994, in Reykjavík, Iceland, with the merger of the former national library, Landsbókasafn Íslands (est. 1818), and the university library (formally est. 1940). It is the largest library in Iceland with about one million items in various collections. The library's largest collection is the national collection containing almost all written works published in Iceland and items related to Iceland published elsewhere. The library is the main legal deposit library in Iceland. The library also has a large manuscript collection with mostly early modern and modern manuscripts, and a collection of published Icelandic music and other audio (legal deposit since 1977). The library houses the largest academic collection in Iceland, most of which can be borrowed for off-site use by holders of library cards. University students get library cards for free, but anyone can acquire a card for a small fee. The library is open for public access.The library main building is called Þjóðarbókhlaðan [ˈθjouːðarˌpoukˌl̥aːðan]. It is a prominent 13,000-square-metre (140,000 sq ft) red and white building near the main campus of the University of Iceland and the National Museum of Iceland. The building took 16 years to complete, finally opening in 1994, the year of the Icelandic republic's 50th anniversary.

The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies (Icelandic: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum [ˈstɔpnʏn ˈau(r)tna ˈmaknusˌsɔːnar iː ˈistlɛnskʏm ˈfraiːðʏm]) is an institute of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Iceland which conducts research in Icelandic and related academic studies, in particular the Icelandic language and Icelandic literature, to disseminate knowledge in those areas, and to protect and develop the collections that it possesses or those placed in its care. It is named after Árni Magnússon, a 17th–18th century collector of medieval Icelandic manuscripts. The Árni Magnússon Institute (Stofnun Árna Magnússonar) was an academic institute located in Reykjavík, Iceland. The institute had the task of preserving and studying mediaeval Icelandic manuscripts containing Landnáma, Heimskringla and the Icelandic sagas. On 1 September 2006, this institute was merged with the Icelandic Language Institute, the University of Iceland Institute of Lexicography, the Sigurður Nordal Institute, and the Place-Name Institute of Iceland to create the current Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. It is a university institution with its own board and financing. The Minister of Education, Science and Culture appoints a five-member board for four-year terms. Three members are appointed according to nomination by the University Senate and two without nomination, with one of those two acting as chairman. The minister appoints a director for five-year terms on the recommendation of the board. Dr. Vésteinn Ólason was appointed director of the Institute of Icelandic Studies on 12 September 2006. Vésteinn had been the director of the Árni Magnússon Institute from 1 May 1999 until 1 September 2006, after which it was merged with four other institutes to create the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. Professor Guðrún Nordal took over as director of the institute on 1 March 2009, appointed for a period of five years.

Árnagarður (Icelandic pronunciation: ​[ˈau(r)tnaˌkarðʏr̥]) is a building in Reykjavík, Iceland, located on the campus of the University of Iceland. It is named after the 18th century scholar Árni Magnússon, and houses the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. Most of the building is used for staff offices and classrooms, but it also houses a small cafeteria. The building is used mostly by the University's Faculty of Humanities.

Gamli Garður (lit. Old Dormitory) is a dormitory at Iceland's Háskóli Íslands (University of Iceland), first opened in 1934. It is Iceland's oldest residence hall and the oldest building still standing on campus. International scholarship recipients reside at the dormitory for the duration of their stay. The dormitory was originally employed to house Icelandic students exclusively and currently serves as a hotel during the summer. It contains 43 single 12-square-metre (130 sq ft) rooms.

The Nordic House (Icelandic: Norræna húsið [ˈnɔrˌraiːna ˈhuːsɪθ]) in Reykjavík is a cultural institution opened in 1968 and operated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Its goal is to foster and support cultural connections between Iceland and the other Nordic countries. To this end the Nordic House organises a diverse program of cultural events, exhibitions, seminars and activities & courses for children. It is the venue for several events in the Icelandic cultural calendar: the Reykjavík International Film and Literary Festivals, Iceland Airwaves and Design March. The Nordic House maintains a library that is unique in Iceland because of its architecture and design by Alvar Aalto and its collection of over 30,000 items in seven Nordic languages, though not including Icelandic. Library users may loan books, eBooks, films, magazines and graphic art by Nordic artists from the Artotek, study or have a cup of coffee. The Nordic House has an exhibition space (Hvelfing), auditoriums and a childrens library. Dill Restaurant was also originally located there; the current restaurant is SÓNÓ, which serves fresh, vegetarian food. The Nordic House was designed by the Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto. One of his later works, it features most of Aalto's signature traits: for example, the organic shape of the ridgeline of the ultramarine-tiled roof, echoing the range of mountains in the distance; the central well in the library; and the extensive use of white, tile and wood throughout the building. Aalto also designed most of the furnishings in most of his buildings. In the Nordic House, all installed furnishings, lamps and almost all of the furniture are by Aalto. The construction of the building was overseen and managed by Elissa Aalto who in close collaboration with the project architect Ilona Lehtinen, also completed the drawings for the construction. The current Director is Sabina Westerholm.

Askja is a building on the campus of the University of Iceland, and named after the volcano Askja. It houses primarily the departments of biology and geosciences. It was designed by architect Maggi Jónsson. The building's long glass side has influenced the look of downtown Reykjavík as it faces the city hall on the other side of Tjörnin. It took a very long time to build due to funding problems, and has been the subject of severe criticism for what is seen as practical shortcomings and susceptibility to the Icelandic climate.Address: Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík

The VR buildings are a part of the campus of the University of Iceland. VR is short for Verkfræði og Raunvísindi (English: Engineering and Natural Science) The buildings were constructed in the 1970s and (as the name implies) serve as centres for studies in engineering and natural science at the University of Iceland. VR I houses the experimental labs while VR II houses lecture halls and classrooms. Research is mainly conducted in VR III. A one-story annex of VR I, known as Letigarður (lazy house) accommodates an intellectual retreat for chemistry, physics and mathematics students. This was closed in 2011 due to health and safety hazards.

deCODE genetics (Icelandic: Íslensk erfðagreining) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the human genome associated with common diseases, and to apply these discoveries "to develop novel methods to identify, treat and prevent diseases."As of 2019, more than two-thirds of the adult population of Iceland was participating in the company's research efforts, and this "population approach" serves as a model for large-scale precision medicine and national genome projects around the world. deCODE is probably best known for its discoveries in human genetics, published in major scientific journals and widely reported in the international media. But it has also made pioneering contributions to the realization of precision medicine more broadly, through public engagement in large-scale scientific research; the development of DNA-based disease risk testing for individuals and across health systems; and new models of private sector participation and partnership in basic science and public health.Since 2012, it has been an independent subsidiary of Amgen and its capabilities and discoveries have been used directly in the discovery and development of novel drugs. This example has helped to spur investment in genomics and precision therapeutics by other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

The Vatnsmýrin Nature Reserve (Icelandic pronunciation: ​[ˈvassˌmiːrɪn], "water marsh") is a protected moorland in Reykjavík, Iceland. The reserve provides a water source for Tjörnin Lake and is a nesting ground for birds. It borders the Nordic House and the University of Iceland. The area within the Reserve including drains and fences, and measures 37,026 square metres (398,540 sq ft). Eighty-three species of vascular plants are documented. Biodiversity has been inhibited due to invasive animals and plants as well as industrial waste.