On the west coast of Greenland, right by the majestic Jakobshavn Glacier, a new visitor centre has been opened. The newbuild designed by Copenhagen-based architect Dorte Mandrup blends seamlessly into the spectacular landscape with its dynamically curved panoramic façade. One special feature is the steeply sloping timber roof, parts of which are accessible on foot.
| Type of Building | Art, culture and design |
| Product areas | Doors Facades |
| Schüco Systems | ADS 75 HD.HI |
| Features | New build Exceptional architecture Famous Building |
| Location | Ilulissat, Greenland |
| Completion | 2021 |
| Architects | Dorte Mandrup |
| Specialist company | Vinduefabrikken Brønderslev |
| Picture credits | © Adam Mork |
Situated around 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle with around 5000 inhabitants, the community of Ilulissat on the west coast of Greenland is the country’s third-largest town and most popular tourist destination. For more than 250 years, glaciologists have been researching the majestic Jakobshavn Glacier here. This glacier was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004 and moves around 40 metres towards the coast every day, leaving behind it dozens of cubic kilometres of ice in the sea.
In order to offer residents, tourists and climate researchers an attractive view of the breathtaking landscape while also being able to tell the story of the ice, the people who live there and the evolution at a local and global level, a spectacular visitor centre has recently been unveiled in Ilulissat. The Government of Greenland, the Qaasuitsup Municipality and the private Danish association Realdania issued an international invitation to tender for the design of the project in 2016, which was ultimately awarded to Copenhagen-based architect Dorte Mandrup.
The newbuild has since been completed. The result is a flat, aerodynamic pavilion with a curved form that impressively mirrors the characteristics of the surrounding landscape. A central element of the design is the dynamically curved panoramic façade, which slopes away in opposing directions on both sides of the building and rises at different angles. The shape of the building is complemented by the roof, which is also curved on both sides and tapers off at ground level at both ends. Its timber planking, which can be walked on, functions simultaneously as a viewing platform and as the starting point of the World Heritage hiking trail that is directly adjacent to it.
A curved row of 52 steel supports, each powder-coated black, form the shape of the structure and support the timber roof above. The approximately 550 m² mullion/transom façade which is integrated into it comprises 52 aluminium/glass units of differing sizes, all fully prefabricated in Denmark and each with seven triple-glazed fields which are situated one above the other. The dimensions of the individual units vary between 1.5 and 2.1 metres in width and 3.2 and 6.2 metres in height depending on their location. The construction is clad on the outside with vertical louvre blades made from Accoya wood and on the inside with oak plywood. The cumulative effect of this is a characteristic form in which the roof and façade complement each other to create a dynamic shape; like an elongated, curved tent that offers visitors shelter in the Arctic landscape.
