The Iceland Volcano Coffee Shop competition is tasking participants with designing a coffee shop to be located at the base of the Hverfjall volcano in northern Iceland. Working in partnership with Landeigendur Voga ehf (Landowners of Vogar farmland), Bee Breeders is calling for submissions for a replacement of the current visitors centre that would offer visitors a place to grab a drink, a snack, and learn a little more about the history of the incredible volcanic crater looming above their heads.

Hverfjall in northern Iceland is what’s known as a “tuff ring” volcano or a tephra cone volcano. Located east of the volcanic Lake Mývatn, Hverfjall’s volcanic explosion crater is 1 km wide and approximately 140 meters deep. It is a popular hiking destination where visitors can easily access many parts of the crater via public hiking trails which can reach up to 200 meters in height.

Believed to have been created during a volcano eruption, Hverfjall is almost perfectly symmetrical, apart from a landslide that took place several years ago, and its dark, captivating colours make it a popular tourist attraction and photography spot. The site is protected, so visitors can only use the two approved hiking trails to access the crater, with all other areasrestricted.

For the Iceland Volcano Coffee Shop competition, Bee Breeders architecture competition organisers have partnered with Landeigendur Voga ehf (Landowners of Vogar farmland) as part of a series of competitions based in Iceland. For this competition, architects and architecture enthusiasts are called to submit designs for a coffee shop that would be located at the base of the Hverfjall volcano. The new coffee shop would need to include facilities for a new visitor centre and a small exhibition room that would give visitors information about the volcano’s history. 

Winning designs will be put forward for construction, so they should strike a balance of practical ideas and creative design that is sustainable, unique, and in keeping with the landscape.

Download full competition brief for more information!

Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; All information submitted by participants must be in English.

Prizes

1st prize: 5,000 € / Publications Certificate of Achievement

2nd prize: 2,000 € / Publications Certificate of Achievement

3rd prize: 1,000 € / Publications Certificate of Achievement

CLIENT'S LANDEIGENDUR VOGA EHF FAVOURITE AWARD: 1,000 € / Publications Certificate of Achievement

ARCHHIVE STUDENT AWARD (MORE DETAILS): 500 € + 50 € ARCHHIVE BOOKS Gift Card + 50 Points BEE BREEDERS Architecture University Rankings / Publications Certificate of Achievement

AAPPAREL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD: 500 € + 50 € AAPPAREL.com Gift Card / Publications Certificate of Achievement

+ 6 HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The winners will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured on the Bee Breeders website and social pages. 

Certificate

Bee Breeders will also acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.

Jury panel

Bee Breeders is committed to selecting the most qualified industry professionals to comprise its jury panels. Jury panels consist of architects, in addition to professionals from other professional backgrounds that are relevant to the competition topic, to guarantee the most objective competition results.

You may find the invited jury list from previous competitions here.

Key dates

Early Bird Registration: NOVEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 7

Advance Registration: DECEMBER 8 – JANUARY 26

Last Minute Registration: JANUARY 27 – APRIL 20

It is still possible to participate in this competition after the preliminary deadlines, however, a higher late registration fee will be charged.

Closing date for questions & answers: APRIL 27, 2021

Closing date for submission: MAY 25, 2022 (11:59 p.m. GMT)

Announcement of the winners: JULY 6, 2022

Registration fees can be seen on this page.

STUDENT REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Contact us to receive special student rates for group registrations (discount applies for 3+ registrations from one university/school) and to receive further information and support for getting your students involved in architecture competitions. Send us ([email protected]) request from your university email address along with basic information about yourself and your university/school. Please note that only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.

Read details about the competition, download full competition brief, site photos & videos on the competition's website. 

Top image courtesy of Bee Breeders.

> via Bee Breeders.