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This glass pavilion atop Greenland UNESCO World Heritage site celebrates Inuit culture and heritage

2022-07-20T14:54:00-04:00

A recent project designed and built by Swedish architect Konstantin Ikonomidis located within a UNESCO World Heritage site in Greenland celebrates Inuit cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of the environment.

Called the Qaammat pavilion, the structure is situated in Sarafannguit, a cultural landscape in West Greenland and a World Heritage site since 2018. It was developed in cooperation with UNESCO, the Qeqqata Municipality, and the Sisimiut Museum.

Image: Julien Lanoo

The pavilion’s location is defined by the two fjords that meet on Sarfannguit’s eastern tip on the hills. This was carefully chosen by the local community, site manager Paninnguaq Fleischer-Lyberth and Ikonomidis. The installation will serve as a landmark and gathering space where the World Heritage site’s surroundings can be experienced by locals and visitors.

Image: Julien Lanoo

As per the architect's project description: “The Qaammat pavilion is designed as a poetic and aesthetic object, but most important...

Dorte Mandrup's winning museum design is a stunning cultural landmark within the Arctic Circle

2021-02-03T17:40:00-05:00

Resulting from a design competition initiated by The Whale AS back in 2019, the organization sought design proposals that created a unique experience for spectators to enjoy large underwater visitors common to the area. The site's location is a popular whale-watching site in Andenes just north of Andøya, an island in Norway 186 miles within the Arctic Circle.

After beating out other big-name firms like Snøhetta and BIG, Dorte Mandrup was named the winner. Børre Berglund, CEO of The Whale AS, expressed much praise towards the design proposal. He's shared with the press "the project from Dorte Mandrup is a clear winner [...] It is poetic and low-key and at the same time a very exciting and unusual building."

As we enter 2021, visuals for the project have already made their rounds in the media thanks to Bergen-based studio Mir who provided visualization renders for Dorte Mandrup and the project.

Praises for the museum's seamless structur...