After receiving 216 proposals from 39 countries, the international ideas competition 'Viewpoint of the Fjords' (VOF), organized by arquideas, has announced the winning projects. VOF aims to provide a new space of contemplation for visitors, located near Homlungsaetra in the area surrounding the Geirangerfjord in Norway. The competition seeks to promote values such as appropriate integration into the landscape, alongside sustainability and energy efficiency criteria.
The jury consisted of Peter L. Wilson, Atxu Amann, Magüi González, Svein Lund, and the four winners of the previous arquideas competition (BaBH San Francisco). Following an initial evaluation phase in which 15 proposals were selected as finalists, a second round of judging was held to determine the 5 honorable mentions and 3 winning entries.
These are the winning projects:
First Place / VOF 1066
Author: Paulina Peña
Institution: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Jury citation: The jury appreciated the unique perspective offered by the intervention, establishing an interesting dialogue and synergy with its surroundings. An aquatic landscape: water as the ancient generator of the fjords, the main creative force behind this idyllic landscape, which has carved and eroded the rock over thousands of years. The proposal aims to do the same, but downward, into the water itself. In this way, the architecture excavates spaces within the water. The water embraces the materiality of the rock, and the architecture becomes the generative element of this aquatic landscape.
The jury noted that the project maintains focus on the subject of the competition—the fjords—while developing much of its program underwater. This offers a highly original perspective compared to other proposals: while most chose to look upward, this one looks downward.
The proposal is praised for its high conceptual value, reflecting on the hidden geometry of the waterfall, transforming the mirror image of the water streams on the lake into its negative—creating voids that penetrate the lake, to be inhabited in a reverse descent into the depths.
Second Place / VOF 1300
Authors: Julieta Derdoy, Matías Fidel Moyano
Institution: Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina
Jury citation: The proposal is considered a brilliant intervention at the landscape scale, accentuating it with a subtle line. In the manner of Chillida, it experiments with the values of the void as a subtraction of matter, highlighting the perception of the mountain's interior and its relationship with the sky and water.
The landscape is unexpectedly sliced by a horizontal rift. Cutting through a piece of the mountain and crossing a waterfall, it is a formal gesture that challenges the laws of physics. What holds the mountain above us? With this enigmatic question, an alchemical metamorphosis masterfully redefines geology as absolute architecture.
Third Place / VOF 1073
Authors: Camilo Álvarez, Felipe Vázquez
Institution: Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Uruguay
Jury citation: This proposal is defined as an artificial cave, a space within the rock. The fjord is not just a visual experience; it is sound, texture, and sensation. The jury appreciated how the proposal connects visitors with all of these aspects.
The jury regards the proposal as a brilliant reflection on perception and the hidden phenomena of nature—in this case, the space behind a waterfall. It is praised for its ability to transport us into the mysteries of the earth's depths, reminiscent of Jules Verne's imagination.
Honorable Mention / VOF 1094
Authors: Juan Verdaguer Aguerrebehere, Nicolás Alejandro Giordano, Yasmin Hilen Mayor, Sebastián Alejandro Rodrigo Institution: Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Argentina
Jury citation: The project is commended for its strategic intervention across multiple points simultaneously. Conceived as a series of light towers, the experience becomes a journey, both across the four "towers" and within each individual element.
The illuminated posts act as a measuring instrument that respectfully highlights the grandeur of the topography. Their illumination and repetition at regular intervals create a sublime experience that unfolds gradually.
Honorable Mention / VOF 1202
Author: Michail Gatzias
Institution: National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Jury citation: The project is recognized as a subtle intervention with seemingly no footprint. A dripping opening, a filter between inside and outside, the jury asks: How do we reach this place? Did the diagrams lead us here?
Honorable Mention / VOF 1295
Authors: Iván Bello, Franklind Jesku
Institution: Università degli Studi di Trieste, Italy
Jury citation: The jury highlighted the relationship between humans and nature, proposing a form of minor architecture. It is commended for its critical stance and its reflection that the spectator themselves is the best landscape observatory.
In its simplicity, it facilitates a new way of enjoying nature, leading to higher elevations with minimal cost and construction. The jury found the proposal fascinating, intriguing, and a bit dangerous.
Honorable Mention / VOF 1414
Authors: Raina Lin, Xinxin Lin
Institution: Southern California Institute of Architecture, United States
Jury citation: The project is commended for enabling the experience of being inside the attraction rather than observing it from afar, suggesting intriguing new ways to enjoy nature.
A candidate for Freudian analysis, the title evokes Poussin’s painting "Calm Landscape," yet the perverse outcome is the embryo of much more recent, nocturnal parametric encounters. The presentation was deemed clear and fascinating.
Honorable Mention / VOF 1415
Author: Ann Gutiérrez
Institution: Southern California Institute of Architecture, United States
Jury citation: The proposal is valued for giving the staircase a sculptural capacity akin to land art, reinforced by its materiality and color.
The staircase is conceptualized here as a low-tech installation. The vastness of the cliff translates into a vast number of steps. The proposal suggests that while the views are spectacular, we must earn that pleasure through physical effort, offering a new iteration of the sought-after "Spectacle of the Fjords" with every step.
The jury appreciated that despite suggesting a new path to the mountain summit, the proposal does not disrupt nature. Leaning against the mountain wall, the robustness of nature is transformed into an experience.
This article was written by Borja Fernández. The translation is powered by AI.
