2026 Buildner Competition, Shortlist, 2ppl work, Mývatn, Iceland
HLÝ RIFT is sited within a dramatic Icelandic terrain where the building is oriented toward three distinct landscape conditions: Hverfjall volcano, Mývatn Lake, and the surrounding fields of black lava stone. These views become spatial anchors for the project, turning the retreat into a sequence of framed encounters with geology, water, and horizon. Instead of treating the site as a backdrop, the design uses openings, thresholds, and changes in enclosure to choreograph how the visitor gradually senses the scale, texture, and atmosphere of the landscape.
The project develops the sauna as a slow passage through contrasting climatic conditions. Heat, moisture, cooling air, planting, and stone are arranged as connected experiences rather than separate rooms. The greenhouse interrupts the intensity of the sauna route with a lighter, softer environment, while the final volcano room brings the body back into direct dialogue with the raw ground conditions of the site. Together, the spaces create a retreat where bathing, resting, viewing, and moving become part of one continuous ritual.
