Arctic flapping of wings

An ice fjord information center has recently opened its doors in the town of Ilulissat in Greenland. It was designed by Danish architect Dorte Mandrup.

The spectacular Ilulissat Icefjord lies directly in front of the town of the same name on the west coast of Greenland, around 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. Now an information and community center has opened there, right on the edge of the Unesco-protected Arctic wilderness. The architecture celebrates the expansive view over the fjord with a transparent, curved structure.

The ice fjord is one of the “Big Arctic Five”, the tourist highlights of every Greenland vacation. In addition to the Inuit culture, dog sleds, northern lights and whales, these are snow and ice. On the one hand, the information center is intended to attract tourists and inform them about climate change with exhibitions. On the other hand, it will serve as a venue for events for the locals. It will also be open to climate researchers all year round.

Greenland desperately needs the income from tourism. Poverty is rife – alcohol addiction and depression are common, and high suicide rates are one of the country’s biggest concerns. There are many reasons for this, including sleep disorders caused by the uninterrupted sunshine, but above all the clash between traditional culture and the modern Western way of life. Today, 88 percent of the Greenlandic population is Inuit or of mixed Danish and Inuit origin, and both Greenlandic and Danish are spoken. It is also difficult to get from one town to another. There are no country roads; people travel by plane, helicopter, snowmobile or dog sled. To this day, the boat is still the most popular means of transportation.

But is it necessary to build a building on the edge of the wilderness to draw attention to the dramatic consequences of climate change? Why build here, on the edge of Greenland’s “untouched nature”? With the additional income for the town of Ilulissat, the question is quickly answered. Dorte Mandrup herself says that her design was primarily intended to appear light – like the “wing of a snowy owl”. The building rests on supports, it appears to be temporarily parked and almost seems to float above the rugged terrain. The wing shape frames the view of the fjord, but also shields it from the snow and icy wind. “The Icefjord Center offers protection in this dramatic landscape and is intended to provide a natural focal point from which to experience the endless, inhospitable dimensions of the Arctic wilderness, the midnight sun and the northern lights,” explains Dorte Mandrup. The supporting structure consists of a curved series of 52 triangular steel frames, the use of concrete has minimized them.

However, the main attraction of the building is its roof, as it is accessible and is directly connected to a hiking trail on the terrain and continues along it. From here you can see not only the impressive icebergs in the bay, but also the city. This public institution thus forms a kind of threshold between civilization and wilderness.

The center’s rooms are open to residents and visitors all year round, but can also be used by companies and politicians for events. The main attraction here is the exhibition with three central themes: “The life cycle of ice”, “Life on the ice fjord” and “Climate change”. It is sponsored by the Danish philanthropic society Realdania and the government of Greenland and shows how the various Inuit cultures have lived under these harsh conditions and how climate change is affecting the local Arctic landscape. For example, ice cores are on display, from which the climate from 124,000 years before Christ to the present day can be read.

The exhibition also looks at the cultural history of the inhabitants. Historians have been able to prove that the first people came to Greenland around 2500 BC. Films about the long cultural history can be seen in the movie theater, as well as interviews with the inhabitants of Ilulissat, who talk about their everyday lives and how they deal with climate change. The building also has a café, a store and research and seminar rooms. In the exhibition rooms, you can also relax on benches all around and take a trip to the Greenlandic research station EGRIP with the help of virtual reality glasses.

Last but not least, this place is intended to serve as a festival hall for the community. For example, there are traditional celebrations when the sun rises in January after six weeks of darkness and then sets again 40 minutes later. This sight can also be enjoyed from the seats on one of the open terraces at the end of the building. Visitors can also feel the influence of local customs in other ways, so they should not be surprised if they are asked to remove their shoes at the entrance. This is also based on an old tradition in Greenland and is said to enhance the sensory experience of the exhibition.

The Icefjord Center opened in July 2021.

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