Hofsos swimming pool
Hofsos is a small fishing village in the northern part of Iceland. It consists of small scale traditional Icelandic houses from the early twenties. The small scale of the surrounding village has been an inspiration in the design process of the swimming pool.
The site of the pool is by the coast on the main street leading to the village. From the site there is a magnificent view towards the Atlantic Ocean where the island Drangey lies in the horizon. In the wintertime the distant lights from the village of Saudarkrokur can be seen on the opposite shore.
The connection to the island of Drangey is of great historical and cultural importance. One of the most important characters in the Icelandic Sagas, Grettir, swam to this island escaping from a battle on shore. The swimming pool is positioned in an axis facing directly towards the island, giving swimmers in the pool the feeling that they are swimming Grettirs route to Drangey.
The swimming pool is delicately integrated into the landscape, cutting itself into the site and opening up towards the view of the Ocean and the island of Drangey. The building and the landfill against the gables creates protection against both the strong northern wind as well as from disturbance from the road and the surrounding village. The building complex contains changing facilities, swimming pool and two Jacuzzis.
The main construction of the building is in situ cast concrete, clad with industrial glazing elements. The industrial glazing is translucent, allowing daylight to flood through but without being transparent. This gives a special experience and comfort in the changing rooms. Icelandic hand- made stones are used as flooring. The exterior lighting is minimized to experience the stars and Northern lights which are frequent in this area during wintertime.
