Four things carry the project: the ground, the hill, the crater and the fire. The cabin sits under a mound that copies the curves of the terrain around Mývatn, following the logic of the old Icelandic turf houses, so the rooms are below the surface and the walls close around the people inside instead of shutting the landscape out. A hollow carved into the mound works like a crater and gives shelter from the weather. At its centre a fireplace rises through the roof and stands out over the snow, day and night, while the top of the hill becomes a deck where the wind and the cold reach you directly.

I ran this one from the concept to the presentation layout, with a senior architect checking the key stages. The roof came out of a Grasshopper definition: Ladybug tested its size, angle and position against the sun path until the fireplace opening also let light in. Two interns worked with me, and part of my job was bringing them into the process.