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Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Бронзана награда A' Design Award in Дизајн архитектуре, зграда и конструкција Competition Category.


БронзанаАрхитектура· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

Бронзана награда A' Design Award Winner in Архитектура Category

Colors

The Design

About Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce

Volcano Visitor Center je centar za posetioce na Islandu koji predstavlja geološke, istorijske i kulturne informacije o islandskim vulkanima. Zgrada zauzima 7.300 kvadratnih stopa (oko 680 kvadratnih metara) i uklopljena je u vulkanski teren, spajajući podzemne prostore sa skulpturalno oblikovanim krovnim pejzažem. Paleta materijala je jednostavna i sastoji se od betona, metala i stakla, sa zelenim krovom projektovanim da podržava lokalno bilje. Parametarski alati za projektovanje oblikovali su zakrivljenu formu uz zadržavanje racionalne geometrije. Kretanje kroz objekat vodi posetioce da dožive horizont, zemlju i prirodu.

The Recognition

About the Бронзана награда A' Design Award

Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce је добитник Бронзане награде A' Design Award, високо престижног признања које се додељује изванредним дизајнима који се одликују креативношћу, домишљатошћу и оштроумношћу. Добитници Бронзане награде у потпуности су вешти и упечатљиво креативни артефакти који потврђују велико искуство, машту и снаљажљивост својих дизајнера. Очекује се да Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce буде високо цењен, дивљен и вољен предмет, запажено професионалан и иновативан. Овај дизајн награђен Бронзаном наградом A' Design Award уграђује најбоље праксе у уметности, науци, дизајну и технологији и одличан је по пажњи према детаљима. Volcano Visitor Center Centar za posetioce сјајно задовољава потребе, дотиче жеље, очарава осећања и привлачи радозналост.

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

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