The best architecture is like this, we are deep in it, but we don’t know where nature ends, and where art begins.
New Talent Awards & Concept Category Winner, 2025 LOOP Design Awards
Platinum Winner, 2025 French Design Awards
Silver Winner, 2024 French Design Awards
Type & Location: Iceland Black Lava Fields Infrastructure
Client: World travelers to Iceland
Size: Site: 5110m², Building: 1700m²
Instructor: Manus Leung, GSD, DCA
Time: 2019 Fall Individual Work, 2024 Revised
Dimmborgir is one of Iceland's most popular tourist spots, with thousands of tourists visiting the black lava fields every year. It's chamber-like structure landscape as well as the unique lake and volcano view are the most stunning attrctions in this project focus.
This design aims to use the solid curve walls and different size corridor to direct people's circulation and their sightlines. The fluctuation of the whole building corresponding with the surrounding scenery to create a comfortable blending in. Structure design and furniture design become the peculiar key points to increase traveler's experience.
Project 1A1: Aerial View
The lava fields has three main directions of landscape attractions for visitors to explore, which is developed to form the design concept of the visual guidance. Meanwhile, it's the most flexible way to immerse the building architecture into the surrounding landscape with a growth format under the nature.
The Dimmuborgir has twisted mass of coagulated Black rock that forms the shape of sinister-looking towers and castles. The Place translates roughly to mean dark castles, accompany Hvefjaff Volcano and Myvatn Lake becoming the three super excellent attractions in this area. By using the strategy of the relationship between the visual guidance and walls, The visitor center offers panoramic views of the surroundings, which also blending in the dark, earthy tones by using solid, streamlined concrete outer layer.
The form relationships between curve lines and circles creates interesting intersection space, which is used to be the service area for working staff and also for the public corridor.
Project 1A2: Landscape Attractions
An Analysis Shows the Attraction Points Of The Dimmuborgir Lava Field
To provide the best view of the Volcano the most special area is kept as the cafe space with a big window to enjoy the beautiful scenery. People constantly go upstairs directly to the larger platform with the guidance of solid walls and steps. By reorganizing the two levels according to the outside fluctuation, the verticle connection formed between spaces and functions. When people enter the visitor center, the information center serves directly in front of the visitor's eyes. The combination of walls and windows blocks sight all around but leads viewers exactly to the main attraction.
Project 2A1: Perspective View of the Entrance
Project 2A2: Perspective View of the Entrance
Project 2A3: Perspective View to the Volcano
Project 2A4: Perspective View to the Lava Field
Ground Level Plan
Site Plan
Second Floor Plan
On the cross-section, when people enter the building, they can follow the guidance of the concrete wall to enter the higher coffee and exhibition spaces, or enter the lower lecture hall space according to the undulating terrain. The three main sight attractions have clear landscape viewing guidance, allowing visitors to appreciate the scenery to the maximum.
In the choice of materials, the combination of the clear concrete facade and the large-area glazing window creates a huge concrete box perspective experience, which should be refined in detail construction. The main bearing wall and Steel Frame for the roof and base constitute the whole concrete building.
Clarification (June 27, 2025)
This project is solely authored and designed by me, encompassing—though not limited to—the overall concept, spatial design, 3D modeling, interior renderings, physical model, and narrative framework. Limited exterior rendering support (1.5 images, not shown here) was carried out by a third party under my authorization and was acknowledged only once, in the London Design Awards and French Design Awards, where the other party was credited strictly as “Exterior Rendering Support.”
Without my consent, the third party subsequently misrepresented his role as “lead designer” in award submissions and fabricated or concealed facts in later media reports. Such conduct constitutes false attribution and infringes upon my moral right of authorship under 17 U.S.C. §106 and PRC Copyright Law Art.10. Any credit beyond “Exterior Rendering Support” is unauthorized and invalid.
Accordingly, all subsequent publications, exhibitions, and award submissions recognize and credit this project exclusively under my authorship.
Copyright © 2019–2025 Daria Yang Du. Registration No. NNCEC-F-00030542. All rights reserved.