Foreword
Competition organisers
Official Partners
Buildner is excited to announce the results of the Iceland Lake Myvatn Community House Competition!
This event is part of Buildner’s Iceland Competition Series, which has included the Iceland Greenhouse Restaurant competition, Iceland Cave Tower competition, Iceland Volcano Museum competition.
The Iceland Lake Mývatn Community House competition was run in partnership with Sveinn Margeirsson, mayor of Skútustaðahreppur, northern Iceland. Two municipalities, Skútustaðahreppur and Þingeyjarsveit, are making plans to merge into Iceland's largest municipality, and seeking to set an example for sustainability by operating as a circular economy. Competition participants were asked to submit designs for a community house that would serve as a prime example of the positive impact of a circular economy across Iceland. The building is intended to be the main regional location for trading, sharing, and recycling materials and resources in order to exemplify circular economy operations.
Buildner worked with an outstanding international jury for this event: Marshall Blecher, co-founder of MAST, a maritime architecture studio based in Copenhagen; Xuanru Chen, lead architect at Shanghai-based ZJJZ Atelier; Pip Cheshire, Director of Cheshire Architects, based in Auckland, New Zealand; Borghildur Indriðadóttir, an artist that lives and works in Reykjavík, Iceland; Magic Kwan and Kenrick Wong who run OOA - Orient Occident Atelier, a Cambodian architectural studio; Marta Frazão, Filipe Rodrigues, and Inês Vicente, Partners at Atelier Data, a Lisbon-based architecture office; Lera Samovich, an architect at Fala Atelier in Porto, Portugal; and Sigrún Sumarliðadóttir, co-founder and Principal of Studio Bua, an architectural practice with offices in London and Oslo, whose portfolio includes the renovation of an Icelandic farmhouse and cultural center.
Buildner and its jury team thank all the participants for their submissions!
Jury feedback summary
The favorite for this competition was a project designed to integrate the building into the landscape and provide an open viewing platform for local residents and visitors. Circular in form and centered on the site, the project is set into a hill with three elevated sides and one side open for views facing the lake. The jury writes: ”An exceptional design with a beautiful and clever integration within the landscape. The program is spread organically using the topography of the site. The proposal of a circular community house is harmonious and tasteful for the chosen location - a strong sculptural form that does not disturb the natural topography, and offers a sheltered courtyard with good internal planning. The proposal reacts sensitively to the landscape and its views. The architecture blends into nature, while retaining a strong identity.” The jury commends the submission for its successful blending into the landscape, and for its exceptional drawings and visualizations.