Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Tambaga in Desain Arsitektur, Bangunan, dan Struktur Competition Category.

TambagaArsitektur· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

A' Design Award Tambaga Winner in Arsitektur Category

5,331

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #182286

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung

Volcano Visitor Center iyanaritu séddi pusa' pangunjung ri Islandia iya mappaitangngé pappaseng passalenna geologi, sejara, sibawa budaya polé ri gunung api Islandia. Iyaé bolaé maloangngi 7.300 kaki persegi sibawa ritaro ri tana gunung api-é, pasisumpungngi ruangeng ri yawa tanaé sibawa bentu' atep iya riukiri'é. Bahan ripaké-é masempo, iyanaritu semén, besi, sibawa kaca, sibawa atep manyila iya ridésaingngé untu' tulungngi tanet-taneng lokal-é. Alat désaing parametrik mébbui bentu' malékko-é sibawa tette' mappiara géométri masséddi akkaleng. Laleng joppaé pimpingngi pangunjungngé untu' péneddingiwi cappa' langi-é, tanaé, sibawa alang-é.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Tambaga

Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung iyanaritu pakoro A' Design Award Tambaga, pakalebbi iya malompo tongeng iya ripabbere ri desain luar biasa iya riissengngi nasaba kreativitas, kecerdikan sibawa ketajaman. Pakoro Tambaga iyanaritu artefak iya terampil sibawa mappabbura kreatif iya mappabbentuk pengalaman iya maega, imajinasi sibawa kecerdikan tau mabbuat. Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung ripakkirangngi mancaji objek iya ripakalebbi, ripuji sibawa rirennu, profesional sibawa inovatif. Desain pakoro A' Design Award Tambaga iyae mappasilaong praktik tepat ri seni, sains, desain sibawa teknologi sibawa makessing nasaba perhatiannna ri detail. Volcano Visitor Center Pusa' Pangunjung mappabbura kebutuhan makessing, mappakkela keinginan, mappabbentuk perasaan sibawa mappabbura rasa penasaran.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Embedded within the volcanic terrain, the project dissolves the boundary between building and landscape, offering a continuous journey of light, earth, and horizon. By uniting subterranean shelter with sculpted roofscape, it transforms architecture into an environmental mediator that preserves the site while intensifying experience, inviting visitors to inhabit nature not as observers, but as participants in its elemental presence.
Dimensions & Packaging: 7,300 square feet.
Tags: Sustainability, Landscape Architecture, Mobius,Parametric, Curvilinear
Production Technology: The building is intended to use local materials and minimize its impact on the existing landscape. The material palette is kept simple, consisting of concrete, metal, and glass, with a green roof designed to support local plants. Parametric design tools were used to create a dynamic form responding to the organic landscape while maintaining rational geometry and production control. View and lighting analyses were also used to verify the design outcomes.
Design Challenge: The creative challenge was to create a manmade form that responds to the existing landscape and site language without simply mimicking nature. The design philosophy explores how humans, while adapting to nature, interpret and reshape the surrounding environment to achieve a new balance that can sustain human life in a sustainable and long-lasting way.
Research: The research focused on two main aspects. The first examined how volcanic activities have shaped Iceland’s landscape and human activities. It was particularly inspiring to understand how volcanoes and the hidden underground world provide fertile soil and geothermal heat for life, while many human activities and habitats are partially or fully embedded underground. The second aspect studied the geometries and forms generated by volcanic activities.
Inspiration: Iceland’s settlement history is shaped by volcanic forces and the landscapes and energy they generate. The vast horizontal terrain fosters a close relationship between human life and the earth. Inspired by volcanic forms and the mystery of the underground, the design reinforces this connection by integrating surface and subterranean space. It invites visitors to reflect on nature as they experience the expansive horizon.
Project Duration: 2025, Iceland
Operation Flow: The design serves as a tourist center introducing geological, historical, and cultural information about Icelandic volcanoes, showing how volcanic activities have shaped Iceland’s environmental and social landscapes. The concept originates from volcanic terrain, particularly exploring the interface between the ground surface and the underground. Around this interface, the building's circulation guides visitors to experience the horizon, the land, and nature.
Team Members: Haisheng Xu