Iceland Thermal Springs Guest House

In a partnership with the Vogafjós Farm Resort, the Iceland Thermal Springs Guest House architecture competition tasking participants to create an exclusive guest house. Competition participants are asked to create an exclusive guest house with 8 - 10 guest rooms, each of which would incorporate views of the natural surroundings and the Aurora Borealis.

Iceland is a small Nordic island country situated between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. With a population of less than 333,000, it is the most sparsely populated country in Europe, with the majority of that population living in the capital city, Reykjavik, and the surrounding areas.
Iceland’s thermal springs are a popular tourist attraction as well as a traditional pastime for locals. Often located in remote locations across the nordic island, these springs are an idyllic rest stop for those visiting Iceland. The Iceland Thermal Springs Guest House architecture competition, in a partnership with the Vogafjós Farm Resort, is searching for designs for an extension to their current property. Guidelines:

Competition participants are tasked with creating an exclusive guest house addition to the resort that would have the capability of functioning as a separate facility in the case of high-profile or celebrity guests visiting. The guest house would need to take full advantage of the stunning views of Iceland’s natural landscape and the frequently-occurring Aurora Borealis.

The new guest house would typically operate as part of the original resort, however in the case of high-profile and celebrity guests there should an element of privacy and exclusivity, and the new addition should be able to function as an independent complex. These should therefore be luxury rooms which take full advantage of Iceland’s remarkable scenery. The complex should include a common kitchen area, living room, and an outdoor hot tub.

The competition site is located a short distance from the two existing guest houses at the Vogafjós Farm Resort, just north of the resort’s famous Cow Café. The competition site is also located near several natural features that are popular tourist attractions, including Lake Mývatn, Mývatn Nature Baths, Mývatn Geothermal Area, and Grjótagjá Cave.
With views of lava rocks and birch trees set against the stark surroundings, it makes the perfect location to spot the northern lights and visit the nearby geothermal hot springs that Iceland is famous for.

Submission requirements:

• Participants are required to upload 4 x A2 landscape-orientated presentation boards (must not exceed 5mb per jpg) with sketches, renderings, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, and/or other presentation tools to explain their proposal.
• No video files are accepted.
• All information provided in writing must be in English.
• All submissions must be uploaded via the beebreeders.com upload panel.

Registration period close on 29 October, 2019, but you can submit your project until 15 November, 2019, (11:59pm GMT+0).

As winning designs will be put forward for consideration for construction, the jury will be looking for projects that focus on eco-friendly and cost-effective building techniques, in keeping with Iceland’s reputation as one of the greenest countries in Europe.

Consultative jury will select 40 shortlisted from all submitted entries, after that core jury panel will evaluate the 9 finalists and select the top 3 winning projects and 6 honorable mentions.

The winners will be announced on 16 December, 2019.

Entry fees:

• Early Bird Registration (May 29 - June 28) is US $90, instead for a students is US $70.
• Advance Registration (June 29 - August 02) is US $120, instead for a students is US $100.
• Last Minute Registration (August 03 - November 01) is US $140, instead for a students is US $120.

Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum).

Bee Breeders will award a total of US $6,000 in prize money to competition winners as follows:
• 1st Prize US $3,000
• 2nd Prize US $1,500
• 3rd Prize US $500
• BB Student Award US $500
• BB Green Award US $500

+ 6 HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The winners will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured on the Bee Breeders website.
Bee Breeders will acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honorable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.