677C - Icelandic contemporary design IX – Landscape architecture - Saxhóll – Self-adhesive - 50g world

The thermal beach in Garðabær enjoys popularity in good weather, being ideal for recreational activities. Seawater passes through a barrier at flood tide and forms a lagoon. No use is made of geothermal heating and the water level of the lagoon varies according to tides. Pétur Jónsson, landscape architect at Landark ehf, designed the thermal beach in 2004. 

Brimketill is a peculiar pool in a lava field close to Grindavík, created by the pounding of sea waves against lava cliffs. A pathway has been made over the lava along with viewing platforms, created by Design Studio Landmótun for Reykjanes Geopark. The designers are landscape architects Lilja Kristín Ólafsdóttir and Óskar Örn Gunnarsson. 

Saxhóll is a high conical crater and a sightseeing attraction in the Snæfellsjökull National Park. Consulting Company Landslag ehf. created a walking path made of metal alloys up to the crater, combining entrepreneurship and preservation of pristine environments. Þráinn Hauksson and Jón Rafnar Benjamínsson designed the trail which has been nominated for a number of design prizes and received the prestigious Rosa Barba International Landscape Architecture Award at the 10th International Landscape Architecture Biennial in Barcelona in September 2018. 

Bragginn is a restaurant in Nauthólsvík close to Reykjavík University, which focuses on a clientele of students and outdoor enthusiasts. Bragginn is housed in renovated military barracks and has excellent connections to the nearby geothermal beach. Design Studio Dagný Land Design (DLD), owned by Dagný Bjarnadóttir, designed the site using material from the original barracks, which were built in 1944-1945. DLD has won numerous awards in competitions.