Foreword
The Iceland Cave Tower Competition was the fourth Bee Breeders event in an ongoing design series, set in the extraordinary landscape of Iceland. The competition site on Vogar farmland is located near lake Mývatn in northern Iceland, and the event was organized in partnership with the landowners, Landeigendur Voga ehf.
Participants were tasked with submitting proposals for an observation point accommodating a small visitor center on the farmland’s site overlooking Vogagjá – a spectacular ground fissure resulting from seismic activity. The fissure is especially significant as a marker of the boundary between the two tectonic plates of the European and North American continents.
The Vogagjá fissure also houses caves that have become popular bathing spots, with waters naturally heated by volcanic flows. The caves receive thousands of annual visitors, and while the remote site of Vogar farmland has become a popular destination, its surrounding lava fields have unfortunately sustained significant damage in recent years. In addition to an observation point to identify the site, the landowners seek a modular design solution for walking paths to better preserve the fragile natural surroundings.
The project sought eco-friendly, site-specific solutions. Proposals were considered for their constructability, cost-effectiveness, resistance to extreme weather, environmental responsibility, energy-efficiency, and low maintenance. They were also evaluated for their strength of concept and their promise to become a meaningful destination. The winning schemes will be considered for construction.
Hundreds of submissions were received from around the world. They creatively explored a broad variety of forms, means for integration within the landscape, and also abstract expressions. Designs experimented with both monolithic and humble presences. While some proposals made use of site-specific stone and earth as primary building materials, others proposed methods for prefabrication or utilization of factory-produced construction elements.
Bee Breeders collaborated with a fantastic international and regional jury for this event: Louis Becker, partner at Henning Larsen; Marshall Blecher, founder of Marshall Blecher Studio; Jette Hopp, director at Snohetta; Borghildur Indriðadóttir, Icelandic artist; and Kristina Loock, head of business development at GMP. We express our gratitude to the jury panel for its support and conscientious analysis of the submissions.
Bee Breeders and its jury panel would like to thank each of the participants for submitting such a range of ideas to this competition!
1st Prize Winner
Rising from Grjótagjá
Competitions help to engage and think about projects with less constraints, which allows to create new fundamental concepts and values.
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DenmarkJury feedback summary
Rising from Grjótagjá installs three individual volumes, connected by a system of paths spanning the tectonic divide. These buildings connect the visitor to the two continents in a subtle and gentle way. The volumes play into the Icelandic landscape and become manmade extensions of nature. The volumes are related formally, and their different functions suggest that the visitor can move among them to explore the site and feel the grandness of standing at the frontier of two continents. According to the jury, “The spatial organization inside the buildings is quite convincing, and the connection to the landscape works well. The project's reference to traditional farmhouses supports the concept of being one with nature. It has the strength to be realized.” The jury also praised the project’s minimal, elegant, and considerate siting: the three simple building volumes feel "undesigned" yet crisply abstract in the vast natural landscape – an unpretentious yet precise intervention to mark the site. The concept demonstrates a sensitive approach to the context, giving clear priority to nature, with a spatial strategy based on a series of interventions or, incisions in the landscape. Creating a special compositional tension, the work is particularly convincing in the experience of an interplay between the minimalist elements, present and subtle at the same time. The suggested combination of rammed earth and modular wood construction with landscaped roofs is realistic and ideally supports the concept. The resulting raw exteriors and interiors link to the site and promise to age gracefully into the natural habitat.
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2nd Prize Winner +
BB STUDENT AWARD
BB STUDENT AWARD
THE MOVING SURFACES
We think that taking part in competitions is a very interesting experience that broadens our horizons. It provides us with an opportunity to work in a group setting and prepares us for our future careers. Participation in competitions enables us to present our design vision to a larger audience and compare it with the ideas of other participants.
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PolandJury feedback summary
Moving Surfaces offers an independent, reflective approach to the task, based on a thorough analysis of the site and its context, by transferring the building into the mass of nature with subtle pathways and iconic viewpoints. The result ranges between a careful use of form and a strong presence for the place, and thus represents a new identity – a sculptural beauty, clearly publicly accessible. According to the jury, the project is simple, smart and iconic, “The landart qualities of the project are convincing, and with the concept of being a measure of how the two tectonic plates move each year. By being present on both sides of the fissure, and at the same time creating the measure, the visitor can 'walk' the tension between the two tectonic plates.” It is a project that is easily understood, suggests a movement for the visitor to experience the place, and it is a strong contrast to the landscape. The building connects indoor activities to the outdoor. The connections to the caves are part of the constructed triangle, and lead people to the main attractions.
3rd Prize Winner
hófsemi
For us, taking part in architectural vision competition is a big chance for experimentation with space and structure, an opportunity to celebrate the design process and to face unusual topics. It develops us as professionals and motivates us to search for new ways of thinking about architecture.
Read full interview PolandJury feedback summary
Hófsemi (translation = moderation) is a well-resolved proposal with a strong connection to the surrounding landscape and a unique lookout point. The project proposes three distinct blackened box-forms housing the toilets and showers, a visitor center, and an observation platform. Most strikingly, the observation platform appears to levitate over the fissure, with an open metal grill catwalk that permits the visitor to view directly below while traversing the gorge. According to the jury, “The careful consideration and willingness to step back from ‘the idea’ is very commendable. The execution remains a bit simplistic and undeveloped.” The jury also praises the design of the raised walking path for the strength of its visual and physical connectivity to the main building with its two satellites.
BB GREEN AWARD
SKERA Visitor Centre
When you are young, a competition helps you find a narrative, present an idea, and get familiar with silly deadlines. As you get older, a competition is a good way to break routine. Competitions offer a rare opportunity to showcase and experiment with ideas and architectural expression without restrictions. You challenge your skills and learn new things.
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United Kingdom
Client Favorite
Dance of the Giants
We adore challenges and architecture competitions are a great way to keep the creative juices flowing, as they encourage imaginative freedom. That said, it is a great platform for emerging architects to showcase their design skills and share unique ideas.
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LithuaniaHonorable Mentions
Shortlisted projects
Portugal Fracture
University of ljubljana, faculty for architecture, slovenia
+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Slovenia
Belgium
Kogaa
Czech Republic 
Dance of the Giants
Lithuania THE MOVING SURFACES
Uniwersytet artystyczny w poznaniu
+146 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland
United States Monolith
Italy
Ecole nationale supérieure d'architecture de paris-belleville
+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
France HIGH GROUND
Silvester fuller
Australia KLAMM
Germany
Spain
United States 
Facultad de arquitectura, urbanismo y diseño (faud) - universidad nacional de córdoba (unc), argentina.
+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Argentina 
Together Apart
Variant studio
Latvia 
Poland 
Mexico Jafnvægi_Cave Tower
Saota
South Africa 
Rising from Grjótagjá
Denmark
Sweden
Hungary SKERA Visitor Centre
United Kingdom The Grjótagjá Tower
Denmark
Ecole nationale supérieure d'architecture de versailles
+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
France hófsemi
Poland
Bulgaria
Hungary 
Poland
United States
Denmark
Italy
Spain 