OUR MISSION

The main goal of ALDIN Biodome is to connect people with nature, support sustainability and promote a healthy lifestyle. A unique gathering place in the heart of the city provides a healing experience surrounded by nature all year round. At ALDIN we offer growth in a wide sense. Green energy is used to grow herbs and vegetables and in naturally inviting spaces people’s bodies and souls can flourish. ALDIN invigorates people’s senses and enhances our personal and conscious relationship with the forces of nature and creates a balance in our lives.

ALDIN will be a unique gathering place in the heart of the city, harnessing the incredible power of natural “green energy” to provide a calming experience whatever the weather. ALDIN aims to offer visitors time and space to nurture their inner self, reflect on and appreciate the goodness of nature, which are the very essence of our Iceland values.

The centrally located biodome, with its iconic design integrated into the natural topography of a cherished valley, will include space for reflection, meditation, learning, organic food shopping, cafes and restaurant, hosting events, a place to work (and be inspired), or simply strolling and admiring the treasures of nature.

ALDIN enhances our ability to sense and understand the connection between nature and its effect on our health, quality of life and our intuition. The geothermal heat allows us to create a Southern climate where a plethora of exotic plants, that under normal circumstances could not grow in Iceland, can flourish. Guests can enjoy a diverse range of services interwoven in ALDIN.

ALDIN’s main activities are inside the Biodome that is divided into three main areas. Guests will enter through Dalbær which is a farmlab and plaza which will be mostly under a turf roof. From there guests can walk into two different climate controlled areas. Laufás, which has a Mediterranean climate and Hraunprýði which has a tropical climate. ALDIN has an outdoor area where the focus is on harmony between the natural environment, cultivation of interesting plants as well as recreational and play areas.

Dalbær’s center has a plant nursery where guests can gain insight into growing methods and harvesting. Emphasis is on having guests experience the entire process of urban agriculture, from farm to table, outstanding quality and freshness. It has a market where people can purchase the crops and other green products. Dalbær plaza has an area for meetings, a restaurant and a café.

Laufás and Hraunprýði gardens and orchards containing a magnificent selection of herbs and plants that carry with them the aura and lore of their origin. There guests can enjoy a variety of diversions intertwined with experiencing the spaces. In Laufás guests can get comfortable under the lavish trees and work or have meetings. Hraunprýði has an area dedicated for mediation and yoga. Each area can be rented for private events such as weddings or conventions.

ALDIN is for everybody, the locals who live in it’s proximity, as well as foreign visitors. “Friends of ALDIN” (visitors with seasonal membership ) can visit the warmth and rejuvenating greenery regularly and foreign guests can experience how the geothermal energy is utilised in this new forest spa that offers a food forest and forest bathing.

ALDIN is an oasis in the land of ice and fire.

Stories from future Friends of ALDIN Biodome

Finding harmony between private life and work

When you walk into ALDIN Biodome you walk into a new world with a different climate. You can take a seat at the restaurant in Dalbær which offers enticing vegan dishes straight from the orchards and the nursery or you can do a yoga class in a tropical climate. Perhaps you weren’t able to finish your day’s tasks, so you find an attractive spot under a tree and use one or two hours to work. You feel rejuvenated when you go home.

Enjoying family life

It is a Saturday morning and the family decides to go to ALDIN Biodome to shop for their weeks’ worth of fresh vegetable and herbs.The children can play in the nature while the parents go to the market. They then decide to go with the children to Hraunprýði where they experience the surroundings and go to the play area consisting of a hanging net that doubles as a hammock. They play barefoot in the sand as if they were at the beach. They hear an announcement on the intercom; Monsoon season is starting. They have two choices, borrow rain capes or leave the area until the rain has stopped. After the rain they decide to enjoy a cup of tea which has been grown at the biodome. On their way out they stop at the reception and pick up their shopping, delivered to them in environmentally friendly packaging.

Let your creativity flow

A child is playing in the forest, amongst the flowers and trickling water. Elves are around during the day and trolls at night. Rocks become jewels and cliffs become castles. The child feels as if anything is possible. More children arrive and without hesitation they join the game. Their imagination soars… They climb the trees, float sprigs on the water and see a bud on a plant and know that the next time they are there, that bud will have become a fruit. Fruit tastes differently when it has its very own story.

CHALLENGES

What are the challenges ALDIN aims to address

You can in many ways describe humanity today as if there has been a disconnection between man and nature. This is especially true in urban environments where man stands alone and far away from nature. This disconnection has brewed climate change, unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle diseases.

Change in weather and climate have a negative effect on ecosystems and therefore people’s quality of life. The environmental and lifestyle problem is sprung from the same roots. Obesity and mental illnesses such as stress and depression are a common problem in western civilisations. The modern person attends to many tasks and every day they struggle to harmonise their lives. It can be difficult and, in a way, overwhelming to get everything done while at the same time enjoying what life has to offer.

Despite priceless natural resources in the form of clean energy, Icelanders as a nation are, compared to other nations, energy heavy with one of the largest carbon footprints of all nations according to the “Global footprint network” methodology. On average, the footprint of an Icelandic person is double that of other Europeans. Careless extravagance is considered to be one of the main factors (according to Sigurður E. Jóhannesson, expert in environmental studies, 2017)

The most common cause of death for Icelanders are chronic diseases that could be prevented by a change in lifestyle such as diet and exercise. The sad fact has arisen that 27% of the population are overweight according to an article in Iceland’s Medical Journal (June 2019). According to the Directorate of Health, stress and depression are common with children and teenagers, and a quarter of young people experience anxiety and 6% of them have serious symptoms. Loneliness is also a common problem, particularly amongst senior citizens.

BENEFITS

ALDIN’S solutions to the problem

ALDIN Biodome is a new and exciting gathering place in the city which offers an invigorating experience for body and soul, both for guests and employees. Healthy green food the enticingly beautiful surroundings are inspiring and promote balance in peoples lives. Under one roof it’s possible to attend to your daily tasks and enjoy the moment. Mother nature is magical and by being in closer connection with her our sense for nature is enhanced which leads to a more respectful relationship with her and a sustainable lifestyle.

ALDIN Biodome will be in a central location close to Elliðaárdalur valley easily accessible via pedestrian and cycling paths. ALDIN will be an ideal rest stop for people enjoying outdoor life in the valley or anyone passing by on their way to or from work. The harmony between the Biodome and its natural surroundings promotes exercise and for people to absorb the Icelandic nature outside and the exotic environment in the Biodome which will be a warm and welcoming haven during the dark hours of wintertime.

Urban agriculture reduces transport of fresh goods and allows for the freshest ingredients on people’s plates. Increased supply and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is positive in many ways; it reduces carbon emissions and promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Research has proven the positive effect nature has on health and wellbeing and doctors and health advisors are increasingly prescribing the “green prescription” to their clients. As an example, green nature improves mental wellbeing, increases creativity and efficiency.

ALDIN will create many jobs in the field of personal growth, gardening and a wide variety of service and education. It will be a constructive centre for intern students in those fields. Its operations will create and promote prosperity for the city and society.

ADMISSION

How do I get access to ALDIN Biodome

Everybody is welcome to ALDIN Biodome! Different admission fees and subscription programs will be offered, depending on how often guests want to visit and how they want to use the facilities.

Dalbær cultivation centre. Everybody is welcome to the plaza and garden without payment. Guests can see what is being grown, go to the market, restaurant or coffeehouse. From there, guests can also access the different areas intended for education and private events.

Laufás & Hraunprýði Bbiodomes:

A reasonable annual fee makes you a “Friend of ALDIN” which gives guests access to the Bbiodomes at your convenience. One annual fee will pay for itself for users who buy two or more single admission tickets per year. Guests who are not in the members club “Friends of ALDIN” pay an admission that gives them access to the Biodomes and from there they can enjoy the areas, do yoga or meditation classes or simply unwind. ALDIN will offer personalised guided tours for a fee. Friends of ALDIN enjoy priority to special events.

ALDIN “Business Membership”: Those who wish to use the green work areas and want to rent meeting rooms can become “Members of ALDIN Business Club”. They pay an annual fee and then sign up for work areas. Members can bring one or two co-workers with them exempt from admission fees and after each visit they can unwind in the gardens.

THE LOCATION

The city of Reykjavík has approved a site-plan for ALDIN Biodome in the southern exterior of Elliðaárdalur in Reykjavík, north of Stekkjabakki in an area called Langagróf. See site plan (ALDIN plot is no.3 – only in Icelandic)

The site-plan got final approval in the Reykjavík city council on November 19th and was advertised in the Legal paper on November 22nd 2019 and by that got a legal status. The old Vatsnveituvegur road is attached to Stekkjarbakki, south of the area designated for ALDIN Biodome and marks the southern edge of the plot. An elevated and steep bank in the land marks the plot on the Northern site but on the East site from the plot, community gardens from the Icelandic Horticulture Society are located. An open green area is on the west side of the plot and a small creak in the land. The steep bank is an ancient seashore and formed by the ice age glaciers.

At one period in time the site was used as a gravel mine that the city authorities used for road construction. Small farms were located at the area called; Hraunprýði, Laufás and Dalbær. In this series of aerial photos

it is shown how the area has changed by time, how different the infrastructure has been at different times in the area. It is also possible to see where some geothermal wells and gravel areas are situated in and around the site. (The old Vatnsveituvegur road is apparently on all the images and therefore a good reference point). The farms have vanished with time but the last one, Laufás was torn down in 2013, but that farm was situated next to Stekkjarbakki road. The site has grown with vegetation and in some areas the site it is relatively attractive with heather and moss.

The micro climate at the location is good and the views up the valley towards East and Mount Esja in the North and towards the city centre in the West are spectacular.

Vegetation at the site will be protected as much as possible and new areas grown.