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Curved Concrete Spine with Expansive Glass Facades in a Natural Landscape Setting

Authors:
Rune Nistad, Daniel Loe, Vlad Lyakhov
Curved Concrete Spine with Expansive Glass Facades in a Natural Landscape Setting

Project in-detail

A curved concrete spine supports expansive glass façades that frame the northern lights, offering guests a unique accommodation experience deeply connected to the surrounding Icelandic landscape.
5 key facts about this project
01
Curved design follows the natural terrain contours.
02
Concrete wall serves as the structural spine.
03
Bedrooms feature roof-extended windows for sky views.
04
Outdoor terrace includes a heated pool for winter use.
05
Prefabricated bathrooms optimize space and construction efficiency.

The Curve is situated in a picturesque landscape, designed to offer comfortable lodging while enhancing the connection to its natural surroundings. The concept uses the site's topography, featuring a smooth arc that lines up with the land’s shape. This relationship between design and environment plays a key role, focusing on practical use while providing a visually engaging experience for users.

Architectural Layout

The arrangement of spaces revolves around a central corridor that links various areas, including bedrooms, a common living room, a kitchen, and an outdoor terrace. This design not only supports easy movement throughout the building but also encourages interaction among guests, creating a sense of community. The careful division of public and private areas allows for both social engagement and personal privacy.

Structural Integrity

A concrete wall serves as the main support element along the corridor, providing necessary strength to the overall structure. This choice contributes to the visual character while ensuring stability. The outer envelope features glass façades and stud wall construction, allowing light to fill the interior spaces while adhering to energy efficiency requirements.

Exterior Features

The external design highlights a terrace equipped with a heated pool and an outdoor fireplace, promoting engagement with the outdoors. These features enhance enjoyment during winter months, offering warm spaces for gathering and watching the stars. Large windows that extend across the bedroom roofs frame views of the sky, providing an opportunity to enjoy the northern lights.

Interior Design Solutions

The bathrooms are designed as prefabricated pods, optimizing space and simplifying construction. This layout eases maintenance while ensuring that essential utilities can be included above them. The functional use of space reflects a commitment to practicality, creating an environment that meets everyday needs while maintaining a cohesive design.

The connection between indoor and outdoor elements is emphasized through expansive glass windows, inviting the landscape inside and allowing guests to appreciate the beauty of the natural setting.

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MICROHOME 10: Celebrating Small-Scale Living with €100,000 Prize Fund and Kingspan’s Innovation

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Competition organisers

The MICROHOME 10 competition invites participants to submit visionary designs for off-grid, modular microhomes that push the limits of sustainable, small-scale living. Organised by Buildner in partnership with Kingspan and Hapi Homes, this tenth edition sets the challenge of designing a dwelling for two people within a maximum floor area of 25 m², encouraging bold solutions adaptable to any urban or rural location. The competition continues Buildner’s mission to foster innovative approaches to compact, energy-efficient housing that can address pressing global challenges.

This year’s edition offers a generous total prize fund of €100,000, including the Kingspan Award for designs that integrate high-performance Kingspan products and the Hapi Homes Award for a project selected for real-world construction. In addition to cash prizes, the winners gain international exposure through Buildner’s media partnerships, publications, and a dedicated MICROHOME magazine, further amplifying their ideas to the wider architectural community.

Key dates for MICROHOME 10 include the closing date for registration on 25 September 2025, the submission deadline on 29 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. London time), and the announcement of winners on 9 December 2025. These milestones ensure participants have clear timelines to develop and present their concepts, with early registration discounts available to support students and emerging designers worldwide.

MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 2025

Enter an open architecture
competition now

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