Article source: KRADS

“Stöðin”, a roadside stop in the Icelandic countryside, is a conjoined restaurant, drive-through, convenience store and gas station. Due to the 65-year long presence of an American army base in the country, Icelandic culture has been shaped by American influences. Stöðin addresses this cultural relationship by incorporating architectural elements from the American diner that contrast the traditional Icelandic building method of in situ cast concrete. The exposed concrete of the exterior bestows the diner with a permanence unknown by its American counterparts creating a friction between its streamlined aesthetics and the rustic frontier. An elongated bar-desk transforms into seating arrangements and characterizes the semicircular restaurant, which offers panoramic views of the scenic fjord Borgarfjörður.

Stöðin in the bright Icelandic summer night

• Architects: KRADS
• Project: Stöðin: Roadside stop
• Location: Borgarnes, Iceland
• Size: 312 m2
• Building lot: 4.840 m2
• Year compl.: 2012
• Client: Skeljungur, the Icelandic branch of Shell.
• Collaborators: Aok-design (on interior), Ferill (engineering, structural/HVAC), Mannvit (electrical engineering).
• Contractor: Ístak
• Photography: Kristinn Magnússon

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