Design Context
Iceland is one of the most volcanically active regions in the world and the interaction between ice and fire has produced a diverse landscape.
This is the outwash plain of Skeiðarárjökull, formed by the accumulation of sediments brought by volcanic eruptions. Before human settlement it was once covered with extensive birch forests. However, as a result of volcanic eruptions, logging and grazing, the trees have been reduced and habitats have been gradually lost, making it difficult to see any trace of flora or fauna. Unpredictable glacial floods have also affected the land at any time and it is now a barren plain.
The glacial floods brought a crisis, but the consequent flow of sediment also brought life to the outwash plain. In the middle of the outwash plain a birch forest is growing naturally and the ecosystem is gradually recovering itself. However, with global warming, the environment of the outwash plain is also undergoing rapid change, with rising temperatures, retreating glaciers and more frequent glacial floods creating a potential crisis for the future birch forest.