Jing Pan

This project continues the strategies and design thinking I developed during the first semester of my MA4 studies. After examining the policies related to Hoffellsjökull and the outwash plain, I shifted my focus further south to the town of Höfn. As a key fishing hub in the Hornafjörður region and the second-largest fishing village in southeastern Iceland, Höfn faces unique geographical and ecological challenges. 

The nearby lagoon causes sediment accumulation, leading to dramatic water depth fluctuations—from approximately 6 to 7 meters at the entrance to 7 to 8 meters further out. These changes complicate navigation, and in winter, the harbor can freeze for months, halting operations. The town is accessible via a detour from the Ring Road or by flights from Reykjavík. Satellite imagery and policy research revealed that a new highway is under construction, a development likely to reshape water flow and significantly affect the regional ecosystem. Through site analysis and projections of future spatial demands, I identified the highway as a driver of change, bringing both environmental risks and new needs, particularly from future visitors. 

In response, I explored site-specific strategies and spatial configurations, proposing the reuse of construction waste to form a publicly accessible landscape. This intervention is intended to welcome visitors and buffer the local ecosystem. I applied planting schemes to protect adjacent wetlands and proposed long-term design measures such as an ecological corridor to address future flooding over the next 50 years. 

By studying historical maps, I also introduced a temporal layer to the project, commemorating the site’s cultural and environmental past while designing seasonal pedestrian pathways that adapt to the landscape’s shifting dynamics.