Volcano Visitor Center Apmeklētāju centrs by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Apmeklētāju centrs by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronzas balva A' Design Award in Arhitektūras, ēku un būvju dizains Competition Category.

BronzasArhitektūra· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Apmeklētāju centrs

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

Bronzas balva A' Design Award Winner in Arhitektūra 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 Apmeklētāju centrs

Volcano Visitor Center ir apmeklētāju centrs Islandē, kas sniedz ģeoloģisku, vēsturisku un kultūras informāciju par Islandes vulkāniem. Ēka aizņem 7 300 kvadrātpēdas un ir iebūvēta vulkāniskajā reljefā, apvienojot pazemes telpas ar skulpturāli veidotu jumta ainavu. Materiālu palete ir vienkārša, un to veido betons, metāls un stikls, savukārt zaļais jumts ir izstrādāts tā, lai atbalstītu vietējos augus. Parametriskā dizaina rīki veidoja izliekto formu, saglabājot racionālu ģeometriju. Kustības plūsma vada apmeklētājus, ļaujot izjust horizontu, zemi un dabu.

The Recognition

About the Bronzas balva A' Design Award

Volcano Visitor Center Apmeklētāju centrs ir Bronzas balvas A' Design Award ieguvējs, ļoti prestiža atzinība, ko piešķir izciliem dizainiem, kas izceļas ar radošumu, atjautību un viedumu. Bronzas ieguvēji ir pietiekami prasmīgi un pārsteidzoši radoši darbi, kas apliecina to dizaineru plašo pieredzi, iztēli un izdarību. Sagaidāms, ka Volcano Visitor Center Apmeklētāju centrs būs augsti vērtēts, apbrīnots un cienīts priekšmets, ievērojami profesionāls un inovatīvs. Šis ar Bronzas balvu apbalvotais dizains iekļauj labāko praksi mākslā, zinātnē, dizainā un tehnoloģijās un izceļas ar uzmanību detaļām. Volcano Visitor Center Apmeklētāju centrs lieliski apmierina vajadzības, skar vēlmes, valdzina jūtas un piesaista zinātkāri.

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