Converse Guest House
Eric Gonzales, AIA
From the Jury:
“It’s landscape plus architecture — an autonomous architectural project — and we liked the reinvention of the nine-square grid, how there’s two binary structures that sort of oppose one another but are also kind of the same thing. It shows some cleverness and architectural thought.” — Kyle Coburn
This guesthouse addition to a farm resort in Iceland is conceived as a kind of modern campground. Intended as a single stop along a larger journey, the house provides both a place to rest and a place to wander. Visitors access the site through a linear wooden pathway that leads to a cluster of structures: two buildings — one offering private guest rooms (the Snooze house), the other public gathering spaces (the Booze house) — and two pads hosting a pool and fire pit. Floating over the rugged yet delicate terrain, the pathway serves as a playful intermediary, requiring visitors to circulate through the outside climate while navigating the site. Converse Guest House eschews any sense of order or direction, deeming them irrelevant when experiencing the sublime Icelandic landscape.