Iceland Slow Sauna , Mývatn / Island

 

Buildner Architecture Competitions

 

in partnership with

Slow Travel Mývatn

 

The sauna has always been more than a room of heat. It is a place of stillness, where the body slows, the breath deepens, and the mind begins to loosen. Architecture has the power to enrich this ritual — to frame silence, to choreograph the movement between warmth and air, to turn a simple act of sweating into a profound experience of presence. But what else belongs in this rhythm? How might architecture extend the ritual of renewal beyond the sauna itself?

 

In Iceland, the answer is often found in light and growth. At Lake Mývatn — a volcanic landscape of steam vents, moss, and silence — the forces of fire and fragility are always entwined. Here, a greenhouse is not just a space for cultivation, but a chamber of recovery, illumination, and life. To step from heat into green, from stone into glass, is to prolong the ritual: to rest, to breathe, to encounter warmth in another form. It is this dialogue — between fire and light, stone and plant — that gives the Iceland Slow Sauna its unique brief.

 

The assignment calls for a modest retreat that unites a sauna and a greenhouse into a single structure, a small architecture that is at once intimate and expansive. The challenge is not to build larger, but to build with sensitivity — to explore how transitions between hot and cool, enclosed and open, dark and bright can become a journey of their own. This competition asks architects to think not in terms of objects, but of experiences, rituals, and atmospheres.

 

This vision comes from Óli and Bianca, the couple behind Slow Travel Mývatn, an initiative that invites guests to experience Iceland through authenticity, slowness, and direct connection with the land. They live and work in the Mývatn region, where they host travelers in their Þúfa – Private Homestay, a dwelling nestled among black lava fields overlooking the lake. The house reflects their way of living — quiet, personal, crafted from local materials, and open to the rhythms of nature.

 

With this competition, they extend that same philosophy outward, seeking proposals that mirror their values: architecture that is thoughtful, tactile, and attuned to both human presence and the Icelandic landscape. The Iceland Slow Sauna is conceived not simply as a building beside Þúfa, but as a continuation of its spirit — a designed ritual of renewal that moves between heat, light, and silence, grounding human experience in the volcanic calm of Mývatn.

 

The competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; All information submitted by participants must be in English.

 

Closing date for registration: 8 April 2026

Closing date for project submission: 11 May 2026, 23:59 (LONDON TIME)

Announcement of winners: 7 July 2026

 

Total Prize Fund: 10,000 €

 

1st Prize: 5,000 €

2nd Prize: 2,500 €

3rd Prize: 1,000 €

 

Buildner Student Award: 1,000 €

Buildner Sustainability Award: 500 €

 

6 Honorable mentions & certificates