CONCEPT DESIGN

THE SITE IS LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN ICELAND, JUST EAST OF LAKE MYVATN.

THE AREA IS ENTIRELY CLEAR FLATLAND, WITH NO TREES. AND OF COURSE, ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR SIGHTS TO SEE ARE THE FAMOUS NORTHERN LIGHTS.

THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE SITE IS SURROUNDED BY THE COUNTRY’S MOST AWE-INSPIRING NATURAL WONDERS, SUCH AS LAKE MYVATN AND SURROUNDING REGION ARE AN IDYLIC LOCATION TO GO BIRDWATCHING, FISHING, RELAXING IN THE NATURAL HOT SPRINGS.

TO THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE SITE, IS ONE OF ICELAND’S MOST BEAUTIFUL HVERFJALL VOLCANO WITH ONE OF THE LARGEST EXPLOSION CRATER IN THE WORLD, AN IMPRESSIVE LOCATION FOR VISITORS AND TOURISTS.

THE SOUTH-EASTERN SIDE OF THE SITE IS THE MYVATN NATURE BATHS ARE ONE OF THE REGION’S MOST POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. GUESTS CAN EXPERIENCEA RELAXINGSTEAM THAT COMES FROM NATURALLY-OCCURING FISSURES DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH’S SURFACE.

FROM THESE INSPIRING VIEW POINTS, WE ADOPT THESE AXIS POINTS, CAPTURE AND FRAME THESE VIEWS FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING. THE FORM OF EACH LAYER OF THE BUILDING FOLLOWS THESE AXIS POINTS, WHETHER TO THE BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL LAKE MYVATN, OR TO THE GIANT AND STRONG HVERFJALL VOLCANO OR THE CALMING AND RELAXING MYVATN NATURE BATHS.

THE ORGANIC SHAPE AND FORM OF THE BUILDING IS ADOPTED FROM THE NATURE AROUND THE SURROUNDING REGION OF THE SITE.

THE MUSEUM IS A 3 STOREY BUILDING WITH THE ELEVATED VIEWING PLATFORMS ON THE ROOF TOP OF THE GROUND AND FIRST FLOORS. VISTORS AND TOURISTS CAN ACCESS THESE ELEVATED VIEWING PLATFORMS TO ENJOY THE AMAIZING VIEWS FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND ANGLES.

FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING, VISITORS AND TOURISTS CAN ALSO ENJOY THESE FRAMED VIEWS WHILE THEY ARE ENJOYING NICE HOT DRINKS IN THE CAFE ON THE FIRST FLOOR, FROM THE MULTIPURPOSE SPACES ON THE SECOND FLOOR, FROM THE OFFICE SPACES OR WHEN THE VISTORS AND TOURISTS ARE ARRIVING AT THE INFORMATION CENTRE ON THE GROUND FLOOR.

BUILDING MATERIAL

CONCRETE IS CHOSEN TO BE THE MAIN STRUCTURE OF THIS VOLCANO MUSEUM BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH THERMAL MASS TO ACCOMODATE THE CLIMATE OF ICELAND.

THE THERMAL MASS, OR HEAT CAPACITY, OF A MATERIAL PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN DESIGNING AN EFFICIENT AND COMFORTABLE BUILDING.

THERMAL MASS MATERIALS HAVE THE ABILITY TO ABSORB AND STORE HEAT BEFORE RELEASING IT LATER ON WHEN NECESSARY. THEY ACT AS HEAT SINKS DURING THE DAYTIME AND AS HEAT SOURCES DURING THE NIGHTTIME.

CONCRETE CAN BE USED TO ABSORB HEAT TO KEEP THE INTERIOR OF A BUILDING COOL THROUGHOUT THE DAY.CONCRETE HAS A HIGH THERMAL MASS WITH PROPERTIES SIMILAR TO BRICK AND STONE.

IT IS POSSIBLE TO ABSORB HEAT FROM THE ATMOSPHERE IN WARM WEATHER AND RELEASE IT DURING COOLER PERIODS, E.G. OVERNIGHT. THIS IS KNOWN AS THE ‘THERMAL FLYWHEEL’ EFFECT. CONCRETE AND CEMENTITIOUS-BASED PRODUCTS HAVE GOOD SOUND INSULATION AND DEADENING PROPERTIES.

ICELAND RENEWABLE SOURCES

ICELAND'S STUNNING SCENERY, WITH ITS BARE, LAVA-STREWN FLATS, SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAIN RANGES, GLACIERS, VOLCANOES AND HOT SPRINGS, IS DUE TO ITS LOCATION ON ONE OF THE EARTH'S MAJOR FAULT LINES, THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE.

WHILE THIS LANDSCAPE IS ATTRACTING AN INCREASING NUMBER OF TOURISTS EACH YEAR, THE COUNTRY'S GEOGRAPHICAL PECULIARITIES ALSO MEAN THAT ICELAND IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT CAN CLAIM TO OBTAIN 100% OF ITS ELECTRICITY AND HEAT FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN ICELAND HAPPENED BY ACCIDENT. IN 1907, A FARMER IN WEST ICELAND TOOK STEAM FROM A HOT SPRING THAT RAN BELOW HIS FARM THROUGH A CONCRETE PIPE AND INTO HIS HOUSE SEVERAL METRES ABOVE. A FEW YEARS LATER, ANOTHER FARMER BECAME THE FIRST ICELANDER TO USE HOT SPRING WATER FOR HEATING, AND EXTENSIVE DISTRIBUTION OF HOT WATER TO HEAT HOMES BEGAN IN THE CAPITAL IN 1930.

THE GEOTHERMAL FIELDS PROVIDE UP TO 20% OF THE COUNTRY'S ELECTRICITY NEEDS. THESE UNDERGROUND FIELDS, WHICH GIVE TOURISTS AND LOCALS THEIR BATHING POOLS, ALSO PROVIDE ICELANDERS WITH AN ALMOST LIMITLESS AND INEXPENSIVE SUPPLY OF NATURAL HOT WATER.

GEOTHERMAL WATER IS USED TO HEAT AROUND 90% OF ICELAND'S HOMES, AND KEEPS PAVEMENTS AND CAR PARKS SNOW-FREE IN THE WINTER.

CONCEPT DESIGN INTERIORS

AS THE SITE IS SITUATED IN THE AREA WHERE IS DOMINATED BY NATURE ENTIRELY AS AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ARE BY THE COUNTRY’S MOST AWE-INSPIRING NATURAL WONDERS, SUCH AS LAKE MYVATN, ICELAND’S MOST BEAUTIFUL HVERFJALL VOLCANO AND THE CALMING AND RELAXING MYVATN NATURE BATHS, OUR APPROACH TO THE INTERIORS OF THE MUSEUM IS BY KEEPING THE INTERIOR SPACES NEUTRAL AS WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THESE VIEWS STAND UP AS THE “HERO”  INSIDE THE BUILDING. 

VISITORS AND TOURISTS CAN ENJOY THE VIEWS FROM INSIDE WITH A COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE AS THE GEOTHERMAL WATER IS USED TO HEAT THE CONCRETE FLOORS AND KEEPS PAVEMENTS AND CAR PARKS ALSO SNOW-FREE IN THE WINTER.

THE POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR REPRESENTS THE ROUGHNESS OF THE HVERFJALL VOLCANO, THE TIMBER LINING ON THE CEILINGS AND WALLS TO PROVIDE WARMTH TO THE INTERIORS AS WELL AS REPRESENTING NATURE. A HINT OF CHARCOAL IS ALSO TAKEN FROM MYVATN YULE LADS

WE ALSO ADOPT THE CRATER FROM THE HVERFJALL VOLCANO BY INSERTING A VOID INTO THE CENTRE OF THE BUILDING. THE VOID ALLOWS LIGHTS TO PENETRATE TO THE CENTER OF THE BUILDING AS WELL AS CREATING A CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH LAYERS.