KRADS tops holiday home in iceland with green roof that blends with the landscape

architecture studio KRADS has completed a holiday home that overlooks þingvallavatn, a large natural lake in southwestern iceland. the architects explain that the form of the building responds directly to the landscape that surrounds it. ‘in dialogue with the terrain, the concrete foundation of the wooden house lies in three staggered planes that follow the movement of the landscape,’ says the firm. ‘in a similar manner, the roof surface, overgrown with local grass and moss, slopes partly towards and partly with the hill.’

all images by marino thorlacius

KRADS, a firm led by kristján eggertsson and kristján örn kjartansson, positioned the house to integrate it with the terrain, while framing selected views of the landscape. to the north, the dwelling rises to offer unobstructed views of the lake and the mountain skjaldbreið beyond. in the opposite direction, the main room opens onto a terrace that is surrounded by trees. this terrace affords views of the mountains jórutindur and hátindur, as well as sightlines through the house towards the lake.

‘apart from the terrace, the immediate surroundings of the building are so densely vegetated that they are close to impenetrable,’ KRADS explains. ‘preserving the landscape as pristine as possible was a major intention in both the design process and during the construction of the house.’ to fully take in the picturesque landscape, residents can access the home’s green roof from either the house’s loft, or from the outside where the slope starts at the foot of the integrated boat shed. see other architecture projects in iceland on designboom here, including these outdoor baths with coastal views.

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project info:

name: holiday home by þingvallavatn, iceland
client: tina dickow and helgi hrafn jónsson
size: main house: 145 sqm, boat shed: 26 sqm, plot: 1,000 sqm
architect: KRADS
engineer: emil þór guðmundsson
entrepreneur: smíðandi ehf. / guest þráinsson
interior carpentry and exterior detailing: helgi hrafn jónsson, jón árni þórisson, christian danielsen
photography: marino thorlacius
status: completed 2020