Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Brončana nagrada A' Design Award in Dizajn Arhitekture, Zgrada i Konstrukcija Competition Category.

BroncaArhitektura· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

Brončana nagrada A' Design Award Winner in Arhitektura Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #182286

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje

Volcano Visitor Center je centar za posjetitelje na Islandu koji predstavlja geološke, povijesne i kulturne informacije o islandskim vulkanima. Zgrada obuhvaća 7.300 četvornih stopa i smještena je u vulkanski teren, spajajući podzemne prostore sa skulpturalno oblikovanim krovnim krajolikom. Paleta materijala je jednostavna, sastoji se od betona, metala i stakla, sa zelenim krovom osmišljenim za podržavanje lokalnih biljaka. Parametarski alati za projektiranje oblikovali su zakrivljenu formu uz zadržavanje racionalne geometrije. Cirkulacija vodi posjetitelje da dožive horizont, zemlju i prirodu.

The Recognition

About the Brončana nagrada A' Design Award

Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje je pobjednik Brončane nagrade A' Design Award, visoko prestižnog priznanja koje se dodjeljuje izvanrednim dizajnima što se odlikuju kreativnošću, domišljatošću i oštroumnošću. Brončani pobjednici izdašno su vješti i upečatljivo kreativni artefakti koji potvrđuju golemo iskustvo, maštu i snalažljivost svojih dizajnera. Očekuje se da Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje bude visoko cijenjen, voljen i njegovan predmet koji je izuzetno profesionalan i inovativan. Ovaj dizajn koji je osvojio Brončanu nagradu A' Design Award uključuje najbolje prakse u umjetnosti, znanosti, dizajnu i tehnologiji i izvrstan je zbog pažnje posvećene detaljima. Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posjetitelje sjajno zadovoljava potrebe, dotiče želje, očarava osjećaje i privlači znatiželju.

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