PK Arkitektar ehf.

Vacation Cottages

Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho

VACATION COTTAGES

PK Arkitektar

ARCHITECTS
PK Arkitektar

LOCATION
Iceland

CATEGORY
Houses

PHOTOGRAPHS
Rafael Pinho, Bjarni Kristinson

CONSULTANTS
Verkhönnun, Landark

PPROJECT YEAR
2015

DESIGN TEAM 
Pálmar Kristmundsson, Andrew Burges, Fernando de Mendonca, Erna Vestmann, Sunna Dóra Sigurjónsdóttir, Liidia Grinko

Vacation Cottages
© Bjarni Kristinson
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho

Text description provided by architect.

In Winter 2012 PK Arkitektar was invited to take part in a competition for vacation rental cottages for the Association of Academics in Iceland.

Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Bjarni Kristinson

The 20 cabins were to be located in Brekkuskógur, in the South West of Iceland. The area features picturesque surroundings with uninterrupted views from each cottage to the nearby lake, Laugarvatn.

The main focus of the design is to create a semirural architecture that blends in with the landscape and the surrounding mountains.

Leftover earth from the excavation is used to form a wind-protecting bunker for the outdoor terraces and help fuse the roofscapes of the cabins with the surrounding sloping landscape.

Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho

Vegetation from the excavated footprint of each building is preserved throughout the building process and reinstalled on the roofs, when completed.

The architectural concept is based on a simple and efficient plan solution, which limits circulation space and minimizes complex detailing.

Vacation Cottages
© Bjarni Kristinson
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho

By doing so, material quality can be increased thus minimizing costly need for maintenance.

The building is a wooden construction resting on a concrete base.

The exterior is clad with burnt hardwood paneling, utilizing a method well known in Japan, among other countries, to enhance the durability of the wood.

Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho

The roof is a grass layer fused together with the surrounding slope, a traditional method used in the old vernacular turf houses in Iceland.

The interior is composed of a floor finish of smooth-polished concrete, with walls and ceilings cladded in wood panels with the same intervals as on the exterior cladding.

Living and dining spaces are located in the heart of the houses where the kitchen opens into the main space.

Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho

The bathroom has direct access to the terrace leading to the geothermal hot tub. The houses utilize geothermal hydro energy from specially drilled sources inside the site boundary.

The overall design is in accordance with recognized ecological standards with the aim to promote minimal environmental impact, creating cabins with close to zero carbon footprints.

Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho
Vacation Cottages
© Rafael Pinho


Vacation Cottages
East elevation
Vacation Cottages
West elevation
Vacation Cottages
North elevation
Vacation Cottages
South elevation


Vacation Cottages
Ground floor plan
Vacation Cottages
Cross Section

PK Arkitektar ehf.
T +354 551 8050
PK Arkitektar ehf.
Brautarholt 4 105 Reykjavík Iceland