Gagarin is currently working on a new exhibition and visitor experience in Þjórsárdalur, one of Iceland’s most dynamic landscapes. The project is part of a larger development that includes a visitor centre, activities, bathing facilities and a hotel, ideated and designed by the Blue Lagoon design team in collaboration with Basalt Architects.
The visitor centre translates the valley into an experience where landscape, story, and interaction come together to create a strong sense of place. Through interconnected installations, visitors explore Þjórsárdalur across scales, from its vast geography to the invisible forces shaping it over time.
This will feel more like entering a national park than a single destination. We see the visitor centre as a gateway to the entire valley, supporting orientation, movement, and access to everything Þjórsárdalur has to offer. Magnús Orri Schram, Director of Destination Development at Blue Lagoon
The Valley: First sketches of the interactive landscape.
The Valley
At the heart of the exhibition, a large interactive landscape table offers an intuitive overview of Þjórsárdalur. A living map unfolds across the surface, where subtle movement creates depth and atmosphere. From three touchpoints, visitors activate layers of content, revealing routes, landmarks, and hidden narratives directly within the terrain, grounding them in the landscape before stepping into it.
Þjórsá and the Highlands
A series of interactive maps expands the view beyond the valley, connecting it to the wider highlands. The focus shifts to the river Þjórsá, its ecosystems, its movement through the land, and its role as Iceland’s most powerful renewable energy source, highlighting the relationship between natural systems and human intervention.
The Story
A tactile, object-based installation explores the history of Þjórsárdalur from early settlement to the present day. Through interaction, fragments of the past emerge into the present, forming a layered narrative of life, disruption, and continuity.
Photo: Basalt Architects
Opening in 2028
We are proud to be part of this ambitious project, developed in close collaboration with the client. It is a rare opportunity to work with such a rich and complex landscape, and to help shape how visitors connect with it in meaningful ways. We look forward to seeing the project come to life and to experiencing Þjórsárdalur through this new lens.
The visitor centre and exhibition are scheduled to open in 2028.
Þjórsárdalur Development