[4][5] Born on July 6, 1929, in a small fishing village in the volcanic island cluster of Vestmannaeyjar, just south of Iceland, Högna Sigurðardóttir made the decision early on to leave home and study architecture in Paris where she eventually established a practice.
Inspired by the look of a traditional Icelandic turf house, Högna Sigurðardóttir made creative use of modern methods and materials in completing the work.
Using prominent Brutalist techniques and a contemporary use of concrete along with references to ancient Icelandic building heritage, The Bakkaflöt house dissolves into its surrounding landscape.
It is located on a small plot in Garðabær where the exterior form of the house is covered by artificial hills, rending only the flat roof visible.
vertical and horizontal components define the house's features: intimate built-in reading nooks to floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors.
In 1967, together with the French architect Adrien Fainsilber, Högna Sigurðardóttir won the first prize for designing a large-scale university development at Villetaneuse in the northern suburbs of Paris.