SKANSI - Shelter under Skansin Ý SKANSI - Refuge embedded in the landscape

The work consists of the design of a shelter for the young staff of a bathing lagoon and hotel at Skansinn in Vestmannaeyjar. The building does not rise from the landscape but sinks into it, it spreads out and becomes part of the earth, where it forms a shelter in the intersection of sea and lava. One floor, five space frames and a continuous roof create a whole where spaces open and contract. The lava roof rests over the building and shapes a protected outdoor space that connects inside and outside. The light falls from above and guides the passer-by through the space. Skansi is both a shelter and an opening at the same time, a place for togetherness and stillness.

The project explores the design of accommodation for young staff working at a lagoon and hotel by Skansinn in Vestmanney. Rather than rising from the ground, the building zinc into the landscape, spreading outward to become an extension of the earth and forming a sanctuary between the sea and the lava. A single platform, five spatial frames, and a continuous roof create a unified whole where spaces expand and contract. The lava rock roof rests above, shaping a protected space, and space opening.

Photos: Claudio Parada Nunes