KRISTAL HÖLLIN

Inspired by Iceland’s dual nature—land of ice and fire—the Renewable Energy Research Center at Kársnes Harbor explores how architecture can emerge from the earth’s dynamic forces. Drawing from Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and Icelandic folklore of the Huldufólk, the project envisions a future where renewable energy defines both culture and form. Sustainability here is not a constraint but a design language—an identity rooted in geology, material, and light.

The architecture takes cues from the Voronoi pattern found in basalt formations, translating the crystallization of lava into a cluster of modular units that form a cohesive research village. Each module, built from mass timber panels and clad in locally sourced basalt, provides resilience against Iceland’s harsh climate while expressing the tectonic character of place.

At its core, a geothermally conditioned atrium links the research wing to public education and exhibition spaces, fostering exchange between scientists and the community. This interior landscape—lush with geothermal vegetation—culminates in a public thermal bath overlooking the North Atlantic, symbolizing the union of science, culture, and nature.

Energy performance is embedded in form: solar PV panels, integrated wind turbines, and modular power management systems enable dynamic, self-regulating operation. Together, these elements create a living laboratory for sustainable design—an institution that celebrates Iceland’s spirit of exploration while transforming renewable energy into an architectural experience of collaboration, innovation, and discovery.

The Renewable Energy Research Center translates Iceland’s extreme geology and renewable energy potential into a performative architectural system that merges technology, material ecology, and environmental design. Conceived as a research and cultural complex, the project envisions sustainability not as limitation but as a generative design identity, where form and function emerge from the dynamics of the Icelandic landscape.

The building’s morphology draws from the Voronoi pattern found in basalt formations—nature’s geometry of crystallized lava. This logic informs a cluster of modular units, aggregating into a flexible, interconnected “research village.” The modular configuration allows phased construction, programmatic adaptability, and independent environmental control, ensuring operational efficiency and long-term resilience.

Each unit employs a mass timber structural system, chosen for its renewability, carbon sequestration, and light structural footprint on the coastal site. The building envelope is clad in locally sourced basalt panels, providing durability, low maintenance, and strong thermal inertia against Iceland’s fluctuating climate. This dual tectonic language—timber and stone—balances lightness and permanence, expressing both ecological responsibility and contextual harmony.

At the center of the complex, a geothermally conditioned atrium acts as a thermal and social mediator. This internal landscape links the research facilities with public exhibition and educational spaces, encouraging exchange between scientists and the local community. The atrium incorporates a geothermal garden and public thermal bath, utilizing naturally available heat for passive conditioning and fostering a civic dimension within a research-driven environment.

The roofscape integrates solar photovoltaic panels and vertical-axis wind turbines, optimizing year-round renewable energy capture. Each module operates through autonomous power management, adjusting ventilation, heating, and lighting in real time based on usage and occupancy. Together, these systems significantly reduce operational energy demand and carbon footprint.

Through its synthesis of geometric intelligence, material economy, and environmental performance, the Renewable Energy Research Center positions architecture as an instrument of discovery—transforming Iceland’s elemental forces into a model for adaptive, low-carbon, and community-centered design.