Project by SUT student for a cafe at the foot of a volcano in Iceland
Kamil Bryłka - a student at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology - won second place and the award for best student project in the Iceland Volcano Coffee Shop competition. It involved designing a café at the foot of the Hverfjall volcano in northern Iceland.
The competition was organized by the BUILDNER platform. Participants had the task of designing a centre for visitors of the volcano. - The centre had to offer a place for a drink, a snack and some learning about the history of this amazing volcanic crater. The design was required to include a café, a small exhibition area and an office area”, said the author of the award-winning project Kamil Bryłka.
The study area is located in the northern part of Iceland in the Myvatn region, which is considered the northern lights capital. Due to the uniqueness of the entire region, a very important aspect of the competition was to adapt to the surrounding landscape. The design had to relate its form to the context of the surroundings - the volcano, the rocks and the ubiquitous volcanic tuff.
- The project was inspired by the eruption of the Hverfjall volcano, which took place 2,700 years ago. It was a phreatomagmatic eruption, whose main products are lava, steam and huge amounts of scattered rock material. The designed space in the form of paths dug into the ground, encased in weathering steel, is a reference to the lava flowing out of the volcano, and the designed object, built from the soil in the area, is a reference to the scattered rock material”, the young architect explained.
Due to the very large area of the study, the author decided to create, in addition to the main site, paths and small rest areas, referring to the lava flowing from the volcano.
- An important functional aspect of the facility was the creation of an entrance area that serves as a central point of the building, providing quick access to all functions of the facility. Immediately at the entrance, an exhibition area and restrooms were placed. The building also includes a café along with an outdoor terrace. The south-eastern elevation has been entirely glazed, allowing for very good lighting inside the café, as well as a magnificent view of the slope of the volcanic crater," added Kamil Bryłka.
About 40 projects were submitted to the Iceland Volcano Coffee Shop competition. - The idea to participate in the competition was born during the search for an engineering design topic. The theme of the competition - the creation of a coffee shop with additional functions - largely met the guidelines of the engineering design, but also allowed for a very high degree of design freedom, so I decided to pursue it”, the young architect said.
Kamil Bryłka graduated from the first degree program at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology. In addition to projects implemented at the University, he participates in national and international competitions. He is involved in 3D graphics, visualization and design of means of transportation.
