This project was a submission to an international architecture competition. The competition prompted a design "of an observation point positioned on the southern edge of [the Hverfjall volcanic] crater. Participants will need to consider the functional properties of this observation point and produce an impressive aesthetic that’s in keeping with the stunning Icelandic surroundings ... offering a view from the top overlooking Lake Mývatn and the Dimmuborgir Lava fields."
cu·ra·tion - noun
the action or process of selecting, organizing, and 
looking after the items in a collection or exhibition. 
“Moment of Curation” enhances a traveler’s experience of Hverfjall by creating an inevitable moment along the rim which changes one’s perception of the complex surrounding horizon. This project creates a moment of visual reprieve through selective–or curated–vignettes of landscape. We aspire to impress upon travelers an appreciation for Hverfjall itself through careful attention to its surrounding landscape.
An interaction with this project is not an experience in itself, but instead, serves to heighten your overall awareness of Hverfjall and the Mývatn region.
A steep path levels out along the rim of the volcanic crater. This trail circles the rim, providing a continuous view of the horizon–expansive and complex. An eventual encounter with this project will bring a sense of reprieve from this visual intensity. This reprieve is created by perforating the visible horizon into more manageable sections. 
Through this encounter along the trail, a momentary change in view is brought upon the visitor allowing them to examine the horizon and find clarity in specific events which they had already experienced- but had yet to consciously note. Six vignettes of foreground, background, sky are formed. This controlled exposure creates an unconscious recognition of these moments in the horizon for the remainder of their visit.
The splaying form reaches outward toward moments in the horizon which are selectively framed by this project. The thin sheets of steel which retain the mass of the slope evoke a sense of the human presence in the project’s construction. This man-made quality reinforces our reluctance to challenge the extraordinary site.
As to not compete with the natural elevation of the volcano, this man-made phenomenon resides below grade. This project is not to be read as part of Hverfjall itself, but rather a minimal and deliberate interference with the trail–we are not competing with the ridge of the volcano. On the contrary, the project fades into the thumbprint of the volcano through its recession, preferring to respect the virtue of Hverfjall by not bringing attention to itself above-grade.
This project accentuates the experience of the volcano and its surroundings without harming the authentic elevation of the Hverfjall Volcano.
A model of solid concrete and chip board slivers represent the steel and tuft (Volcanic Rock) materiality of the project proposal. The splaying form of “Moment of Curation” extends outward, selectively framing specific moments in the horizon. The thin sheets of steel that hold the slope in place evoke a sense of the human hand in the project’s construction, reinforcing the idea that this is a man-made intervention in the natural landscape. 
Back to Top