[The Whisperers of the Quiet Strip] - YAC – Abandoned Airport Competition Proposal

 

“The Whisperers of the Quiet Strip” is an architectural proposal developed for the YAC – Young Architects Competitions: Abandoned Airport competition. The project explores how abandoned infrastructure can be transformed into a new ecological and cultural landscape, reconnecting people with the natural environment.

Located near Djúpivogur in Iceland, the former airstrip becomes a quiet territory where architecture acts not as an object dominating the landscape but as a mediator between humans, wildlife, and the fragile ecosystem of the lagoon. The proposal introduces a small family of structures — three architectural presences called The Whisperers — designed to encourage birdwatching, environmental awareness, and slow observation of the surrounding wetland landscape.

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Rather than imposing a singular monumental intervention, the project adopts a strategy of minimal and carefully positioned architectural elements that allow visitors to experience the site from different perspectives. These structures — the Water Creature, the Air Creature, and the Ground Creature — inhabit the abandoned runway as silent observers, inviting visitors to rediscover the rhythms of nature.

Architecture as Environmental Interface

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The project reimagines the abandoned airport as a space of transition between land, water, and sky. Instead of preserving the site as a relic of infrastructure, the proposal transforms it into a landscape of observation where architecture becomes an interface for understanding ecological processes.

Each structure offers a distinct relationship with the surrounding environment.

The Water Creature immerses visitors at the edge of the lagoon, bringing them close to the water surface and offering a unique perspective on aquatic life and bird activity.

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The Air Creature rises vertically as an elevated birdwatching tower, providing panoramic views of the wetland landscape and capturing the sounds of migratory birds through an acoustic listening device.

The Ground Creature acts as a sheltered observation hut, accommodating groups of visitors and professionals while adapting to changing weather conditions through a system of sliding wooden shutters.

Together, these elements create a network of observation points that encourage slow exploration of the landscape and foster a deeper awareness of the local ecosystem.

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The Whisperers

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The three structures are conceived as inhabitable objects embedded in the landscape. Their form and spatial organization evoke living creatures — silent companions that coexist with the wildlife of the lagoon.

Constructed from marine-grade concrete shells and clad with charred black timber, the structures are designed to withstand the harsh climatic conditions of the Icelandic environment while blending into the surrounding terrain. The interiors are finished with warm red timber surfaces, creating a protective and intimate atmosphere that contrasts with the vast openness of the landscape outside.

The architecture emphasizes inclusivity and accessibility. Custom seating elements are integrated into the interior walls, allowing visitors of different ages and physical abilities to comfortably observe the surrounding wildlife. Carefully positioned apertures frame views of the lagoon and the sky, prioritizing the experience of children and families while maintaining unobstructed visual connections with the environment.

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The Air Creature

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Among the three structures, the Air Creature functions as a vertical observation tower designed to reconnect visitors with the sensory experience of the Icelandic landscape.

The tower is conceived as a minimal structure rising above the ground plane, offering an elevated vantage point for birdwatching and wildlife observation. Unlike conventional observation towers, the platform remains intentionally open, allowing visitors to experience the wind, sounds, and shifting light of the surrounding wetlands.

At the top of the tower, a perforated metallic enclosure acts as an acoustic device that captures and amplifies the sounds of the lagoon’s birdlife. This feature transforms the structure into a listening instrument, enhancing the sensory connection between humans and the natural environment. The experience of ascending the tower gradually reveals the landscape: the abandoned runway, the lagoon’s reflective surface, and the distant mountains of the Icelandic horizon. From this elevated position, visitors become part of the migratory pathways of birds that inhabit the wetlands.

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The Ground Creature

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Anchoring the trio of structures, the Ground Creature functions as a flexible observation shelter designed to host small groups of visitors, researchers, and birdwatchers. Inspired by the traditional birdwatching hut, the structure provides a protected interior space while maintaining strong visual connections with the surrounding landscape. A system of sliding charred timber shutters allows the building to adapt to Iceland’s rapidly changing weather conditions: the shutters can close to protect the interior from wind and storms, or open to reveal carefully framed observation windows positioned at standard eye level for comfortable wildlife viewing. Inside, integrated seating elements allow groups to gather, observe, and share the experience of the landscape. The Ground Creature acts as the most social of the three structures — a quiet refuge where visitors can pause, learn, and collectively engage with the rhythms of the wetland ecosystem.

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The Water Creature

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The Water Creature is a partially submerged observation space designed to bring visitors into direct proximity with the lagoon’s surface and the fragile ecosystem it supports. Positioned at the edge of the water, the structure creates an intimate birdwatching environment where visitors can observe wildlife from a duck’s-eye perspective. A carefully positioned horizontal viewing aperture sits just above the waterline, allowing seated or reclining observers to experience the subtle movements of the lagoon and the behavior of aquatic birds at an unusually close distance. Accessed by a gently descending ramp extending from the shoreline, the structure appears to float lightly above the water while its robust marine-grade concrete shell ensures durability against tidal changes and harsh environmental conditions. The result is a quiet, immersive space where architecture dissolves into the landscape and visitors become temporary participants in the life of the lagoon.

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Materiality and Landscape Integration

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Material choices play a crucial role in integrating the structures into the environment. The use of charred timber cladding references traditional Scandinavian wood preservation techniques while providing durability against extreme weather conditions. The dark exterior surfaces allow the structures to visually recede into the landscape, reducing their visual impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

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The interiors, by contrast, employ warm red timber surfaces that create a welcoming and protective atmosphere. This spatial contrast emphasizes the transition between the exposed Icelandic landscape and the intimate interior spaces designed for observation and reflection.

The concrete structural shells ensure stability and longevity while allowing the forms of the structures to remain sculptural and expressive.

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A Landscape of Quiet Observation

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“The Whisperers of the Quiet Strip” proposes a new vision for abandoned infrastructure: not as obsolete relics, but as opportunities to create spaces that reconnect people with the natural environment.

Through a series of small architectural interventions, the project transforms the abandoned airport into a landscape dedicated to observation, education, and ecological awareness. Visitors are invited to slow down, listen, and observe the subtle rhythms of the lagoon — the flight of migratory birds, the changing light of the northern sky, and the quiet movements of wildlife.

In this landscape, architecture does not seek to dominate nature. Instead, it becomes a quiet companion, amplifying the experience of the environment and encouraging a renewed relationship between humans and the fragile ecosystems they inhabit.