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Teardrop Structure Crafted From Local Timber Featuring Communal Hearth Spaces In Icelandic Landscape

Author:
Dajana Elez
Teardrop Structure Crafted From Local Timber Featuring Communal Hearth Spaces In Icelandic Landscape

Project in-detail

Crafted from local timber and designed as a teardrop structure, the ski cabin offers communal hearth spaces that enhance the connection to Iceland's rugged landscape and winter sports activities.
5 key facts about this project
01
Crafted from locally sourced cross-laminated timber panels to ensure sustainability.
02
Incorporates charred wooden shingles for enhanced durability and weather resistance.
03
Features a unique bent A-frame design that optimizes space and snow runoff.
04
Offers panoramic views through expansive glass panels seamlessly integrated into the structure.
05
Includes a central communal hearth, fostering social interaction among visitors.

**Overview**

Located within a prominent ski resort area in Iceland, the Viking’s Hut encapsulates a design that merges traditional Viking architectural influences with modern functionality. The project seeks to create a multifaceted space, allowing visitors to engage with Iceland’s cultural heritage while appreciating the local landscape. The design is a thoughtful response to its geographical context, optimizing the natural topography and vistas inherent to the region.

**Spatial Strategy and Site Integration**

The structure is characterized by an elongated, teardrop shape that aligns with the contours of the surrounding landscape, encompassing mountains, glaciers, and plains. This form not only reduces the visual impact on the environment but also enhances structural performance, minimizing snow accumulation risks. Interior spaces are organized around a central communal area featuring a fireplace, fostering social interaction and warmth. The open-plan design encourages flexible use, accommodating relaxation, dining, and information-sharing zones while maintaining a cohesive flow throughout the gathering space.

**Materiality and Sustainability**

A deliberate selection of materials underpins the hut's design philosophy, emphasizing local sourcing and sustainable practices. Timber, sourced from nearby forests, serves as a nod to traditional construction methods, while a stone façade ensures durability and integration with the geological context of Iceland. Expansive glass elements are incorporated to maximize natural light and offer unobstructed views of the environment, bridging the interior with the exterior landscape. Metal accents provide structural support without dominating the design aesthetic. Eco-friendly insulation materials contribute to energy efficiency, essential for temperature regulation in Iceland's cold climate, thus supporting the project’s sustainability goals.

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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

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