Client: N/A
Year: 2025
Type: Research Center
Site: Kópavogur, Iceland
Status: Competition (individual)
The project reimagines architectural responses to climate change by proposing a symbiotic
relationship between the built environment and natural forces. Drawing inspiration
from Iceland’s dynamic landscapes, the project adopts a fluid, morphing form that mirrors
the gradual transformations of the earth—rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and tectonic
shifts. The architectural massing deliberately contrasts the old and the new, creating a tactile
dialogue between human intervention and the environment. As the building dissolves
into the horizon, it serves as a metaphor for the climate crisis, with shifting geometry symbolizing the erosion of human-made structures and the ascendency of nature.
relationship between the built environment and natural forces. Drawing inspiration
from Iceland’s dynamic landscapes, the project adopts a fluid, morphing form that mirrors
the gradual transformations of the earth—rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and tectonic
shifts. The architectural massing deliberately contrasts the old and the new, creating a tactile
dialogue between human intervention and the environment. As the building dissolves
into the horizon, it serves as a metaphor for the climate crisis, with shifting geometry symbolizing the erosion of human-made structures and the ascendency of nature.
Acknowledging the historical resilience of settlers in extreme environments, the project suggests that humanity’s triumphs are not over nature, but in negotiation with it. Ultimately, the design foregrounds the urgent need for environmental stewardship, positioning nature as a regenerative force that architecture must learn to coexist with.
