The Vicarage of Viðareiði

The vicarage of Viðareiði, which is the most northern of the 20 vicarages of the Faroe Islands, has been on this site in the Faroe Islands for around 500 years. This particular building was built in 1854 and is a very fine example of a Faroese building developed by craftsman traditions through the centuries. The vicarage was built in times when all materials for building houses, with the exception of turf and stone, were extremely expensive and very hard to get hold of.

In 2007 Viðareiði was developed as a Faroese business area and as a result new approaches to conserving and maintaining the vicarage have been applied by the Diocesan authorities. Many of the parsonages were in bad condition after several decades of disrepair so a plan for the extensive renovation of the vicarage in Viðareiði was put in place. As part of the renovation the vicarage has now shifted to more renewable energy solutions which are currently being monitored as part of the Energy Pathfinder project.

The Diocesan authorities continue to approach sustainable energy solutions in the vicarages and are working on plans for the church, parsonages and other buildings in the Diocese to become green buildings in the future.

About the Speaker 

Bárður Dam í Baianstovu was born in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands in 1964 and studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he earned his Diploma in 1998. Until 2009 he worked in the private sector, after which he was employed at Landsverk. Here he has worked on a variety of tasks, such as working on an architectural policy for the country, programming institutions and other public buildings, as well as maintenance and refurbishment of public buildings, especially the parsonages, as well as the historic, preserved buildings in the center of Tórshavn, Tinganes.

About the Organisation

Landsverk builds, maintains and administers public buildings and the transportation network in the Faroes. Landsverk makes long-term plans and secures professional and objective solutions. We create durable solutions and lasting values within the public infrastructure and buildings and we provide services for stone, broken stone and asphalt. Landsverk plans all new construction of public buildings and is responsible for the maintenance of about 250,000 square meters spread over 175 buildings. In addition, Landsverk has, over the past 10 years, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, assisted the diocesan authorities with the maintenance of the islands' 20 parsonages (vicarages), some of which must be regarded as worthy of conservation.