Great Divide
Type
Contest Entry
Year
2020
Location
Iceland
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Contest entry for a visitors center in Iceland, situated on the rift between continents, celebrating it as a meeting place, with an environmental discourse. Our aim was to create a visually impactful piece, with close to no environmental impact.
Reasoning
This rift is a natural occurring wall, between two continents. One may take this simple wrinkle as a metaphor for the many walls we have raised in recent history. Between cultures, between race and religion, between continents, and more recently between each other.
The Great Divide is thought of as a physical manifesto towards turning these walls into bridges, and start fighting as one. Our enemies today can't be held back by walls, can't be fought off by isolation, but can be overcome only by communication and collaboration.
Furthermore we chose to show one of the struggles we need to ally ourselves against, by placing on one side of the divide a chimney.
Observing the patterns in which the steam moves, we might arrive to the conclusion that, no matter on which continent we are, our actions have consequences that are universal.
Sustainability
The main construction material used is locally sourced volcanic stone, placed in steel cages. It acts as a canvas for the metal bridge, connecting the two sides, but also as a foundation for the pathways.
Paired with these, the steel wire and steel mesh, a material that can withstand extreme conditions and requires minimal maintenance. We avoided using wood, as it's a precious commodity in Iceland.
The main power and heating comes from geothermal energy, and rain water is collected for general usage. The excess steam coming out of the chimney becomes an efficent and free pinnacle.
