Eir Geothermal Iceland
Red Mountain Lagoon
2018
Introduction
Snøhetta was invited to participate in a parallel design competition initiated by a couple owning private land, who wanted to utilize this space. The family-owned site can simply be described as a vast landscape at the intersection of three rivers, with views towards the iconic red mountain. This resulted in Eir Geothermal Spa.
Technical details
Eidhus
Transformative journey
With the vastness and texture of the Icelandic shores, plains, ravines and mountains, a journey through this landscape is bound to be transformative.
Named after the Norse goddess of healing, our approach to creating Eir Geothermal Iceland was one of understanding movement and curating the events that give visitors moments of reflection and insight into this astonishing landscape. It would combine the inspiration of Icelandic sagas and a contextual understanding to reinforce the perception of place.
Sn extension of its surroundings
If viewed from above, water and road lines are the only traces we leave in the landscape. With walls made of rammed earth pigmented with lava from the nearby red mountain, the building is a raised earth form, subtle and organic, a part of nature and an extension of its surroundings. A grand entry emerges from the artificial mound, and guided by a tunnel of shallow water one enters the lagoon.
