Ulfhildurshus

Tradition and myth weaved into existence

Lake Myvatn, Iceland, 2022-2024

Photo: Render of Front Entrance, done in Revit & Enscape

Ulfhildurshus is a 9-unit guesthouse designed for Vogafjós Farm Resort, located on Lake Mývatn in Northern Iceland. I was asked to design lodging for a local hot spring, and asked for 8-10 residences in the guesthouse, as well as a hot spring on the site as well. This design explored the idea of telling a story of the land and its people through the design of the project and make the invisible become visible, with the building being the bridge between what is natural and what is beyond.

Typography Guesthouse

Portal to past memories

For the design of the project, four main themes or Partis for the design were explored: The lake itself, the Dimmuborgir, The myth of ulfhildur, and finally the traditional turf house of Iceland.

For the lake parti, Lake Myvatn is a shallow lake created from a volcanic fissure, which created pseudo-craters inside the lake [1]. Surrounding the lake are many volcanoes, as well as the Dimmuborgir, or “Dark Castles”: large lava tubes which resemble ruins of a castle or church [2]. These Dimmuborgir are the second parti explored. For the Ulfhildur parti, it is based on a story connected to Lake Myvatn of Hildur, an elf queen with ten golden rings and a curse on her. To break the curse, a farmhand steals her ring, and she is allowed to return home [3]. Finally, there is the turf house parti, connecting the project to the history of layered turf houses in Iceland, as well as the typology of Icelandic house design [4].

All contributed to the final design, but ultimately the story of Ulfhildur won and became the leading parti for the design.

As well, during this phase, Program bubble diagrams and solar analysis drawings were done to help aid the design and understand the site and building better.

FLOOR PLAN DESIGN ETHOS

The floor plan consists of a vertical axis for the private realm, with all rooms facing the windward side of the building and capturing the rising sun, while the horizontal axis captures the public realm, with the sauna being the unique space that is both private and public since it occupies both roles simultaneously.

The main hall includes the hot spring, which is fed by the local hot springs and includes geothermal heating in the floors. This will allow the main hall to be open to the elements during the winter, allowing it to further occupy this transparent boundary between the natural and supernatural.

The meditation room is featured below the hot spring, with area for contemplation and a retreat from the world above. Windows on the ceiling create a permeable barrier, allowing light filtered through water to enter the room.

Written by Jared McGuire

The ninth ring / that binds us together / and to existence /

a portal between seen and unseen / planes / worldly

and heavenly / are which mirrors the other /

The Great Hall’s Hot Spring & The Elf World

The Rings manifest itself in the main hall in three ways: the central skylight to the hot spring, the passage through the pool to enter the building and the ten pillars creating the arcade.

The skylight above represents the lake itself, and connects the sky to the water and then to the elf world beyond. This skylight is the only one that turns inwards rather than outwards on the roof to further enforce this connection.

The passage under the pool is the main entrance, and has the viewer pass through the water barrier to enter an otherworldly realm, the elf world, with light shimmering through the pool above. Wood is used here to give contrast to the water, but also embrace you as you enter.