Iceland
Volcano Museum

'The Windows of Hverfjall' describes in its text proposition the experiential entry sequence of the visitor. While the building is an exhibition space, it also serves as a landing point for the region's many trekkers. It is square in plan and divided into three parts: for reception, exhibition, and offices. The building is low and horizontal in profile with a planted roof and accentuated with a fine steel edge profile. This horizontality is well-balanced by a series of vertical light wells clad in weathered steel. The finish floor of the entire structure is cleverly sunken four feet below the exterior ground plane; this serves the dual function of allowing the sightline of the arriving visitor to be set above the roof plane for direct views of the volcano beyond, as well as endowing inhabitants with the sense of being partially submerged within the ground. The drawings and imagery of this proposition are advanced and beautiful, with a great sense of balance.

'Crater II' is a building that takes on the rock formations of its site. The subterranean structure consists of a casted vault set around an organically-shaped, open-air space. The series of images expressing the interior experience are impressive, with elements that are simultaneously gothic, modern, and steeped in antiquity. The project seeks to be encapsulated by the landscape, hidden from view, while paying homage to the nearby Hverfjall. The details of construction are not clear (is it intended to be natural rock, concrete, or both?). Yet the concept is striking and strong. One could only hope that such a project might achieve this level of integration.

This project is defined by seven linear, opaque masses oriented towards the Hverfjall, and linked by transparent glass elements. The result is a porous building that is visually reduced in scale. Each of these transparent links provides views to the surrounding site. Its main entry is aligned to the existing site path for accessing the volcano by foot, and this central axis divides the 'private' office program from the public exhibition hall. The exhibition spaces are intelligently planned according to the building's linear strips, but with partial divisions that allow easy and flexible visitor flows among them. A 'foyer' space buffers the exhibition hall from the south facade, and so allowing a separate space for viewing the volcano while providing perimeter circulation. The building is topped by a series of beams that form a top-lit grid. This designer has proposed a project that functions well while using local materials in its construction.