Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter: The Icefiord Centre in Ilulissat, Greenland

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter studio, winner of the design prize, will build the Icefiord Centrein an extreme natural setting, amidst the great glaciers of Greenland, where "architecture makes the difference between life and death". The site selected is on the West coast of Greenland, in an area protected byUNESCO near the village of Ilulissat and the ancient glacier known as Sermeq Kujalleq.

The centre designed by the Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter studio will blend into the landscape, offering visitors, tourists and researchers a privileged viewpoint of the famous glaciers, which produce a tenth of all icebergs in Greenland.

The Icefiord Centre will resemble a large tent, a strongly inclined triangular structure with a slightly curved L-shape. It will blend with the environment and offer the public an indoor and outdoor visitors’ walkway, along the sloping roof. Inside, glass windows will alternate with the supporting triangular structure to give an excellent viewpoint from which to observe the glacier and the valley. The whole area has been the object of study for over 250 years and information on glaciology and understanding of current climate change are linked to the research carried out on the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Architects: Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter www.dortemandrup.dk
Location: Ilulissat, Greenland
Images: MIR (exterior), Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter (interior)

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