Volcano Visitor Center Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż in Disinn tal-Arkitettura, Bini u Strutturi Competition Category.

BronżArkitettura· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż Winner in Arkitettura 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 Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi

Il-Volcano Visitor Center huwa ċentru tal-viżitaturi fl-Islanda li jippreżenta informazzjoni ġeoloġika, storika u kulturali dwar il-vulkani Islandiżi. Il-bini jkopri 7,300 pied kwadru u huwa mdaħħal fit-terren vulkaniku, fejn jgħaqqad spazji taħt l-art ma' saqaf skolpit. Il-paletta tal-materjali hija sempliċi, magħmula mill-konkrit, il-metall u l-ħġieġ, b'saqaf aħdar iddisinjat biex isostni pjanti lokali. Għodod ta' disinn parametriku sawru l-forma mgħawġa filwaqt li nżammet ġeometrija razzjonali. Iċ-ċirkolazzjoni tiggwida lill-viżitaturi biex jesperjenzaw l-orizzont, l-art u n-natura.

The Recognition

About the Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż

Volcano Visitor Center Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi huwa rebbieħ tal-Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż, rikonoxximent prestiġjuż ħafna mogħti lil disinji eċċellenti ddistingwuti mill-kreattività, l-ingenwità u l-għaqal. Ir-rebbieħa tal-Bronż huma xogħlijiet bi ħila biżżejjed u kreattivi b'mod impressjonanti li jawtentikaw l-esperjenza vasta, l-immaġinazzjoni u l-ħila ta' riżorsi tad-disinjaturi tagħhom. Huwa mistenni li Volcano Visitor Center Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi ikun oġġett imqabbar ħafna, mammirat u maħbub, notevolment professjonali u innovattiv. Dan id-disinn rebbieħ tal-Bronż jinkorporaw l-aħjar prattiki fl-arti, ix-xjenza, id-disinn u t-teknoloġija u huwa eċċellenti fl-attenzjoni għad-dettalji. Volcano Visitor Center Ċentru tal-Viżitaturi jissodisfa l-ħtiġijiet b'mod eċċellenti, imiss ix-xewqat, jinċanta s-sentimenti u jattira l-kurżità.

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