Video documentary, Coming Summer 2016
ABSTRACT
This is a proposal for a research documentary of Iceland’s geothermal infrastructure and its relationship with
landscape, architecture, and society. We intend to use our findings to further our current research of geothermal
infrastructure; advance new integrative design models; and stress the importance of integrating renewable
energy systems in urban design. The project outcomes include a video documentary, a photographic essay,
and a catalog of multi-scalar mappings. Using these formats, we will argue that framing and advancing clean
energy infrastructure as designed, augmented socio-physical landscapes rather than solely as engineering
projects is more likely to garner momentum to support its implementation.
SITUATING THE PROJECT
Thanks to its volcanic activity and rich hydrography, Iceland is becoming the first country in the world to be
powered entirely by local renewable sources1. The country’s extensive geothermal infrastructure has not only
facilitated the production of clean and inexpensive electricity (at a quarter of the European average rate) but
also created a framework for developing new modes of production and recreation, with significant economic
and socio-cultural implications. Deeply embedded in Iceland’s cultural legacy as a source for heating and for
domestic uses such as cooking or bathing, geothermal byproducts have more recently been harvested to
create artificial landscapes, thermal baths, or microclimates for farming and fishing. With only a quarter of
its potential harnessed so far, Iceland recently revealed plans for a 1,170km submarine cable to power homes
in Europe2. At the same time, the country’s rich geothermal and hydrologic potential has become an arena
positing dreams of economic growth against environmental degradation, as with the case of Alcoa aluminum
smelting plant, whose operation required a new power plant3.
Our research will explore the possibility to relieve the economic pressure to build new energy production