Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronasta nagrada A' Design Award in Arhitektura, gradnja in oblikovanje konstrukcij Competition Category.

BronastaArhitektura· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

Bronasta nagrada A' Design Award Winner in Arhitektura Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce

Volcano Visitor Center je center za obiskovalce na Islandiji, ki predstavlja geološke, zgodovinske in kulturne informacije o islandskih vulkanih. Stavba obsega 7.300 kvadratnih čevljev (približno 678 kvadratnih metrov) in je umeščena v vulkanski teren, pri čemer povezuje podzemne prostore z oblikovano strešno krajino. Paleta materialov je preprosta in obsega beton, kovino in steklo, zelena streha pa je zasnovana tako, da podpira rast lokalnih rastlin. Parametrična orodja za oblikovanje so izoblikovala ukrivljeno formo ob ohranjanju racionalne geometrije. Krožna pot vodi obiskovalce k doživljanju obzorja, pokrajine in narave.

The Recognition

About the Bronasta nagrada A' Design Award

Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce je prejemnik Bronaste nagrade A' Design Award, zelo prestižnega priznanja, ki se podeljuje izjemnim oblikovanjem, ki se odlikujejo po ustvarjalnosti, iznajdljivosti in bistrosti. Prejemniki Bronaste nagrade so v celoti spretni in presenetljivo ustvarjalni artefakti, ki potrjujejo bogate izkušnje, domišljijo in zvitost svojih oblikovalcev. Od Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce se pričakuje, da bo visoko cenjen, občudovan in ljubljen predmet, opazno profesionalen in inovativen. To oblikovanje, nagrajeno z Bronasto nagrado A' Design Award, vključuje najboljše prakse v umetnosti, znanosti, oblikovanju in tehnologiji ter je odlično po pozornosti do podrobnosti. Volcano Visitor Center Center za obiskovalce sijajno zadovoljuje potrebe, se dotika želja, očara čustva in vzbuja radovednost.

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