Design a community home in Iceland that exemplifies a circular economy. Iceland Lake Myvatn Community House competition is launched!

Two Iceland municipalities, Skútustaðahreppur and Þingeyjarsveit, are making plans to merge into the largest municipality in the country. The new region would cover roughly 12,000 square km and be home to over 1,200 people. This new region in northern Iceland is looking to set an example to the rest of the country, and the world, in terms of its sustainability. As such it will be looking to operate a circular economy.

A circular economy is focused on sharing, lending and reusing materials, products and resources as much as possible. Unlike traditional linear economic models which have often been labelled as “take, make, waste”, a circular economy operates with as much waste materials and energy being used in other areas as possible. This is especially important as the municipality has large fields of eroded land that needs to be restored with the use of fertilizer, lupina plants and tree planting.

The Iceland Lake Myvatn Community House competition is running in partnership with Sveinn Margeirsson, mayor of Skútustaðahreppur. Participants are asked to submit designs for a community house that would serve as a prime example of the positive impact of a circular economy in the region and across Iceland. The community house would therefore be the region’s main location for trading, sharing and recycling materials and resources in order to exemplify how a circular economy operates.

Participants are asked to focus their designs around the concept of circular economy – sustainability and the reuse of materials should be at the core of submitted project designs. The community house will be a resource for both locals and tourists, providing everything from education to storage and lending of materials and equipment.

As the Skútustaðahreppur council is planning the construction of this building, winning projects will need to be unique, creative and practical, while fully embracing the ethos of a circular economy.  

PRIZES

3 winning proposals, 3 special award recipients and 6 honourable mentions will be selected. Bee Breeders will award a total of 10,000 € in prize money to competition winners as follows:

1st Prize - 5,000 €
2nd Prize - 2,000 €
3rd Prize - 1,000 € 

“Skútustaðahreppur council" Favourite Award - 1,000 €

ARCHHIVE Student Award - 500 € + 50 € gift card at ARCHHIVE BOOKS
AAPPAREL Sustainability Award - 500 € + 50 € AAPPAREL.com Gift Card 

+ 6 honourable mentions

Mývatn is the spectacular region in the north of Iceland that is home to some of the country’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders and is considered the Northern Lights Capital of Iceland. The lake region is home to Iceland's fourth largest body of water, Lake Mývatn, which is 36.5 square kilometers in size and is home to a wealth of natural wonders and wildlife. [Img-top] - Lake Mývatn; [img-left] - Hverfjall Volcano; [img-center] - Grjótagjá Cave; [img-right] - Mývatn Nature Baths

Participants are asked to focus their designs around the concept of circular economy.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE 

Early Bird Registration: NOVEMBER 15 – DECEMBER 8
Advance Registration: DECEMBER 9 – JANUARY 27
Last Minute Registration: JANUARY 28 – APRIL 21  

Final registration deadline: APRIL 21, 2022 
Closing date for submission: MAY 26, 2022 (11:59 p.m. GMT) 
Announcement of the winners: JULY 7, 2022

More: https://architecturecompetitions.com/icelandcommunityhouse/