Volcano Visitor Center Ionad Luchd-tadhail by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Ionad Luchd-tadhail by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Duais Umha A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Ailtireachd, Togalaichean agus Structaran Competition Category.

UmhaAiltireachd· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Ionad Luchd-tadhail

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

Duais Umha A' Design Award Winner in Ailtireachd 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 Ionad Luchd-tadhail

'S e ionad luchd-tadhail ann an Innis Tìle a th' ann an Ionad Luchd-tadhail nam Bholcàno a tha a' taisbeanadh fiosrachadh geòlach, eachdraidheil, agus cultarail mu bholcànothan Innis Tìle. Tha an togalach a' còmhdach 7,300 troigh cheàrnagach agus tha e air a shuidheachadh anns an tìr bholcànach, a' ceangal spàsan fon talamh ri mullach-tìre snaidhte. Tha am pailead stuthan sìmplidh, air a dhèanamh suas de chruadhtan, meatailt, agus glainne, le mullach uaine air a dhealbhadh gus taic a thoirt do lusan ionadail. Chum innealan dealbhaidh parametrach an cruth lùbte fhad 's a bha iad a' cumail geoimeatraidh reusanta. Tha an cuairteachadh a' stiùireadh luchd-tadhail gus eòlas fhaighinn air fàire, an talamh, agus nàdar.

The Recognition

About the Duais Umha A' Design Award

Tha Volcano Visitor Center Ionad Luchd-tadhail air Duais Umha A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh gu math urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean sònraichte a tha air an comharrachadh le cruthachalachd, innleachd agus geurchuis. Tha buannaichean Umha nan obraichean gu math sgileil agus gu sònraichte cruthachail a dhearbhas eòlas farsaing, mac-meanmna agus tapachd an luchd-dealbhaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi Volcano Visitor Center Ionad Luchd-tadhail na nì air a bheil mòran meas, ion-mholta agus gràdhach, a tha gu sònraichte proifeiseanta agus ùr-ghnàthach. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Umha A' Design Award a' cur nan cleachdaidhean as fheàrr ann an ealain, saidheans, dealbhadh agus teicneolas an gnìomh, agus tha e sàr-mhath airson an aire do mhion-fhiosrachadh. Bidh Volcano Visitor Center Ionad Luchd-tadhail a' sàsachadh fheumalachdan gu h-iongantach, a' suathadh ri miannan, a' tàladh faireachdainnean agus a' togail fiosrachd.

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