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PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LAND AND HISTORY OF THE INUIT
An almost invisible presence that straddles a thin line between the manmade and the pristine landscape, this glass shell rises and then disappears among the southwestern fjords of Greenland. In the village of Sarfannguit, Greenland, just above the Arctic Circle and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018, Swedish architect Konstantin Ikonomidis has designed and built the glass Qaammat Fjeld Pavilion, a tribute to the land and cultural traditions of the indigenous Inuit people. Drawing inspiration from the Arctic light, the moon, and reflections off the snow, this site-specific structure has curving walls that open at two points and a jagged upper edge, conceived as a poetic and aesthetic object through which to gaze and tune in to the surrounding landscape. In this sense, the pavilion is a kind of lens through which to discover or rediscover the place, depending on whether you’re a traveler or a local. The ice, the sea, the rocks, and the changing colors of the seasons and the days all take on different meanings, asking observers to look at their natural setting through new eyes. All this reflects the great respect, almost reverence, that the local people have for nature.
Qaammat is located above a fjord between Sarfannguit and Aasivissuit – Nipisat, a site with views over the entire village. The local people were actively involved in this project along with the local authorities, beginning with UNESCO site manager Paninnguaq Fleischer-Lyberth and the Sisimiut Katersugaasiviat museum. The opaque glass bricks used to build the shell make its presence almost imperceptible, so much so that the boundary between manmade and pristine nature is blurred. Built on rocky ground, its foundations are the same as used for the local dwellings, while the glass walls, chosen for their physical appearance, are the result of a collaboration that saw the glass bricks travel to Greenland from Italy via Denmark.
The undulating lines of Qaammat are the result of an in-depth study of light and how it changes through the day and the seasons. It’s been possible to see this kind of sensitivity in Ikonomidis’ work for some time, reflecting his commitment to incorporating nature, culture, and people’s stories into his designs. Ikonomidis has created a structure that lets you immerse yourself in the power and fragility of nature through the opaque transparency of the glass. But such a unique creation would never have been possible without listening to the stories of the local people, who are the true protagonists here, participating in every stage of the project.
In total, five tons of Murano glass bricks were used, each produced using traditional techniques, such as blowing, casting, and fusion. They were then skillfully assembled according to the architect’s vision of design and contemporary art. Before construction could begin, however, the bricks and assembly methods were thoroughly researched and tested by the architect in collaboration with Faidra Oikonomopoulou and Telesilla Bristogianni, both from TU Delft University.
The bricks, assembled to leave small gaps between each, are the basic elements of what’s essentially a painter’s canvas that depicts the ever-changing hues of the surrounding landscape.
Location: Sarfannguit, Greenland
Architect: Konstantin Ikonomidis
Client: Qeqqata municipality, Greenland UNESCO World Heritage Aasivissuit – Nipisat
Collaborations: Sisimiut Museum (Sisimiut Katersugaasiviat), Faidra Oikonomopoulou and Telesilla Bristogianni from TU Delft University
Photography by Julien Lanoo and Konstantin Ikonomidis, courtesy of the authors
