National Park Center at Hellissandi

Opening hours: Every day at 10:00 – 16:00 Phone: 661-1500

National Park Center

National Park Center at Hellissandi was opened on March 24, 2023.

A display of signs about Snæfellsjökull National Park adorns the exhibition hall, but it is planned that a permanent exhibition will be installed there in 2024. There is also an educational and teaching space with possibilities for lectures.

Service representatives and rangers provide general information and education about the area. There is also a souvenir shop where the focus is on products related to the national park.

The restaurant Matarlist is in charge of cafeteria within the National Park Center.

Jökulhöfði

The building’s design is called Jökulhöði and comes from Arkís architects who won a design competition in 2006. The house is divided into three; to the south is Jökulhöfði, whose name refers to Snæfellsjökull, which towers over the building and houses an exhibition hall and restaurants, to the north is Fiskbeinið, which refers to the popular fishing tickets in the area and houses the offices of Snæfellsjökull National Park, a souvenir shop, an information desk and an educational space.

The highway runs through the building, but the design of the building allows you to walk right through the building inside and out.

BREEAM certification

The National Park Center is fully designed and built based on the international certification standard BREEAM, but those criteria assume that environmentally friendly building materials are used and that waste is limited during construction and during operation, which contributes to the fact that the buildings will be more environmentally friendly and more economical in operation.

BREEAM also covers the relationship between buildings and social issues such as the local environment, transport and innovations that can improve the quality of buildings and the environment.

The aspects of BREEAM that are most relevant in the National Park Centre in Hellissandur:;

Daily operations are based on Green Accounting, and at the end of each operating year, calculations of daylight, energy and water consumption will be submitted.

All waste that leaves the building will be weighed. The requirements were also placed on the contractor throughout the entire construction process.

Access to the building will be exemplary, and there are good walking and cycling paths leading to and from the National Park Centre.

Charging stations will be available for both visitors and staff of the National Park.

The entire construction and operating process is carried out based on the most environmentally friendly methods, and the choice of materials is low maintenance (materials can erode, no outdoor paint, etc.).

All wood used in the building is FSC certified, which means it is traceable throughout the production process.

The National Park Center at Hellissandi is designed in accordance with the competitive proposal of Arkís arkitekta ehf. The Administration Office – Ríkiseignir (FSRE) managed the building construction and Húheild contractors took care of the practical implementation.

Total size 710 square meters

Space for community use 600 square meters

The total cost of construction is 640 million

Construction began in 2020 and was completed in 2022.

National Park Center at Hellissandi was officially opened on March 24, 2023