🟩 GreenBricks Building of the Week 🟩 Snaefellsstofa Visitor Centre

Glacial green

Set in Europe’s largest National Park, this minimalist building evokes the look, feel and majesty of a glacier. Its chief accomplishment: blending into the rugged landscape, not showy, nor distracting.

📍Location

Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland

🏢Building Details

• Completed June 2010

• 765 sq m – X shaped building

• Office, café, retail + exhibition space

👷🏾‍♀️Developer & Contractor

• Guðrún Ingvarsdóttir – CEO @ FSRE

• Thröstur V. Söring – Director of Development & Construction @ FSRE

• Húsheild

✍️Architects & Engineers

• Þorvarður Lárus Björgvinsson – Owner of ARKÍS arkitektar

• Bjorn Gudbrandsson – Architect & Partner @ ARKÍS arkitektar

• Viggo Magnusson – Partner @ ARKÍS arkitektar

• EFLA Consulting Engineers

• Verkís Consulting Engineers

🌱Sustainability

• 1st BREEAM-certified building in Iceland – helping visitors engage with National park while educating on sustainable design

• Building divided into 3 parts so it can be utilised in different ways depending on the season + sunlight; flexible spaces easily combine + connect both indoors and outdoors

• Green turf roof and thick wall insulation reduces heat loss

• Clear and simple material palette – locally sourced wood, concrete, and dark-brown copper cladding to ensure the building’s durability in a harsh environment

🥦 Wellbeing

• Strategic hilltop location – provides shelter from winds, ample daylight + sweeping mountain views

• Locally sourced larch wood used for interior furnishings – feeling of warmth + connection to surrounding environment

• Parking + service areas strategically screened off by vegetation and landscaping walls built using local volcanic rock

• Central hall + generous ceiling heights allow for permanent exhibition space

🎈Bonus feature

The form of the building was inspired by the process that forms glaciers – in which a large mass of compressed snow is squeezed through a tight space. Great architecture imitates nature, snow doubt.

🔗 Check it out https://www.archdaily.com/93050/snaefellsstofa-visitor-center-arkis-architects