Boris Stoyanov
Hverfjall Hearth
Buildner Competition
Summer 2022
Hverfjall Crater, Iceland
Cafè and Visitor’s Center
Collaborators – Frank LaPuma | Thomas Slay | Davis Drury
In the midst of a vast, frigid expanse, the human instinct is to seek warmth—not only as a means of physical survival but as a fundamental necessity of the mind. The Hverfjall Hearth operates on this premise, not merely as a shelter from the extreme conditions but as a spatial counterpoint to them. Its core is a locus of warmth, radiating outward into the harsh landscape, establishing a dialogue between exposure and refuge. This is not about escape; it is about contrast—an architecture that amplifies the raw qualities of its surroundings while offering a moment of pause, a place to recalibrate before stepping back into the elements.
The project is framed around the interplay of opposing material conditions. The external environment—hard, oblique, and unrelenting—is not negated but drawn inward, integrated into the space as a reminder of the world beyond. This is met with the counterforce of the café, where warmth is tactile, surfaces are smooth, and the atmosphere shifts from austere to inviting. The result is not a separation between exterior and interior but a transition, a moment of threshold where the relationship between body, space, and climate is made explicit.
The exhibition space extends this principle, providing a means of engagement with Hverfjall Crater beyond passive observation. Rather than presenting geological artifacts in isolation, the exhibit constructs an architectural reinterpretation of the crater itself—an abstraction of the experience otherwise unattainable. The light well operates as a living element, shifting in response to the changing environment, casting ephemeral patterns across the stark exhibition walls. Nature is not a static subject but an active participant, ensuring that no two visits are identical. The space does not impose a singular narrative but instead reflects the crater’s evolving presence in real time.
Arrival is deliberately choreographed to heighten awareness of these environmental forces. The entrance sequence compresses space, exaggerating the sense of exposure, guiding visitors through an earthen fissure from which warmth escapes like geothermal steam. The release from this pressure is immediate upon entry into the café, where the full expanse of the landscape reveals itself in a singular panorama. The terrain outside remains unchanged—cold, barren, immense—but within, the atmosphere shifts. The architecture recedes and rises, embracing its visitors, offering not just relief but a profound sense of grounding. In this moment, warmth is more than temperature—it is presence, it is home, however temporary.