Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Brónse in Arquitectura, Óga ha Mba'eguasu Jejapo Competition Category.

BrónseArquitectura· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

A' Design Award Brónse Winner in Arquitectura Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda

Volcano Visitor Center ha'e peteĩ ohechaukaha renda Islandia-pe omoherakuãva marandu jeporeka yvyguigua, tembiasakue ha arandukuaa rehegua Islandia tatayvy kuérare. Pe óga oipuru 7.300 pie kuádra ha oñemoĩ tatayvy yvy ári, ombojoajúvo koty yvyguypegua peteĩ óga ape ijapopyre porãva ndive. Umi mba'e ojeporúva imbovy: konkréto, metal ha vídrio, peteĩ óga ape hovyũva ojejapóva omombarete hag̃ua ka'avo upepegua. Tembiporu paramétriko diseño rehegua omoha'ãnga pe rekove karẽva ojejokóvo peteĩ geometría hesakãva. Pe tape jeguata ombohape ohóvape ohecha hag̃ua yvy apyra, pe yvy ha pe arapy.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Brónse

Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda ohupyty A' Design Award Brónse, peteĩ ñehechakuaa heta prestigioso oñeme'ẽva diseño sobresaliente-pe ojekuaáva creatividad, ingenio ha astucia rupi. Umi ganador Brónse ha'e artefacto hábil ha creativo ohechaukáva experiencia, imaginación ha recurso umi diseñador-pe. Oñeha'ãrõ Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda ha'eha peteĩ objeto ojehayhúva, admirado ha estimado, profesional ha innovador. Ko diseño ohupytýva A' Design Award Brónse ombojoaju mejor práctica arte, ciencia, diseño ha tecnología rehegua ha iporãiterei detalle rehe. Volcano Visitor Center Ohechaukaha Renda ombohory necesidad, ohupyty ipotapy, ombovy'a sentimiento ha ohenói curiosidad.

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