Cultural Centre of Greenland in Nuuk (1997)
Schmidt Hammer Lassen - SHL
Facts:
Architect
schmidt hammer lassen architects
Client
Nordic Council of Ministers, Greenland’s Home Rule and Nuuk Municipality.
Area
4,800 m²
Construction sum
€ 12 million excl. VAT
Competition
1992, 1st prize in restricted scandinavian competition
Status
Construction period 1994 - 1997
Engineer
Rambøll A/S
NIRAS A/S
Awards
1997, Selected Buildings Award
1998, The Nykredit Architecture Prize
1998, The Danish Arts Foundation Award
1999, The Eckersberg Medal
Description:
Inspired by Greenland’s dramatic scenery of icebergs, snowfields and mountains, the main element of the building is sheathed by a floating, undulating screen of golden larch wood. This second skin lends the scheme an elegant airiness, creating a contrast with the solid form of the core building. The screen acts as an architectural metaphor for the Northern Lights, whereas the dark and massive form of the main building is reminiscent of the icy mountains of Greenland.
Daylight streams into the large foyer through roof lights and narrow oblong glass slits in the external screen. The foyer serves as an indoor public piazza for the city and is divided into separate areas by three free-standing geometric structures housing the main facilities of the Cultural Centre: a square box for the television studio, a triangular structure for the café and a circular form for the multi-purpose auditorium which has seating for 550 people and can also be used as a cinema or a concert or conference hall. The Cultural Centre of Greenland in Nuuk is a dynamic meeting place for Inuits from all over the northern hemisphere.
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