The exterior of the guest house sits somewhere between geological form and prototypical Icelandic house. A pitched roof that from one angle is the silhouette of a naïve sketch, yet from other angles takes on a more organic rock-like form growing from the volcanic stone setting. The raw concrete facades flow seamlessly into one another, no sign of a tectonic roof overhang or scupper detail, creating a prismatic monolith. Through a series of geometric operations, the traditional house is transformed into a terrace and courtyard house at the same time. A series of contradictions play together, the heavy and raw concrete walls of the façades enhance the weight and materiality of the building, but being raised off the ground, suggest light and ephemeral matter. On the other facade, the childlike silhouette of the house is turned upside down, like a prism touching the ground at a point. The slanted base and roof, terminating at a sharp edge above and below, on the one hand, strongly evoke the roof lines of the original buildings, yet also an abstract, shimmering pyramidal quality, a new icon and an annex that can accommodate all types of guests. Both a modern project, and an ancient one.

To maintain a natural aesthetic, we utilize red pigments of the local volcanic stone, to give a special reddish tint to the concrete, which creates a contemporary interpretation and dialogue with the sheds of the current farm resort. The building composition intends to complement its backdrop of lava rocks, while the perimeter logia of the house enhances an image of weightlessness and of suspension over the expansive landscape. The illusion of suspension, or a balancing act, happens on one facade, while the opposite facade lands robustly on ground to create a generous access to the guest house and locate spaces for storage and mechanical. The interior of the house is composed of a dialogue of earthy tones and materials, such as pigmented concrete, and grey tile. The exclusive guest house has eight rooms and four communal areas. It is a house that can accommodate many types of living for weekend visitors to Iceland, either large groups, multiple families, or simply a single couple looking for a room for the night before they continue their hiking journey.

The plan offers great flexibility, as well as modularity. In the same way, we account for liberty in future expansion and change, thus the plan allows freedom to either expand the rooms, or remove the partition between to create master suites, in order to accommodate to the needs of future luxury travel. All the rooms take full advantage of Iceland’s scenery by incorporating expansive views of the natural surrounding and the Aurora Borealis. Each of the bedrooms have access to the balcony at the periphery of the building, and can extend sliding doors out from the walls, closing off the balcony for privacy. All balconies are covered in a colonnade with a pitched concrete roof to enjoy the landscape under shade. At the center of the plan, a comfortable bath is lifted in a podium to create privacy yet also an anchoring center space for all to gather. Here, admiring the Aurora Borealis at night becomes a wonderful set as the tinted concrete catches some of the magical light in the sky to create a powerful image.