Aside its strategic placement on site and the institution it houses, the proposal of the Art Hub triggers the start of a relevant discussion about how the future of the Greenlandic Culture will be shaped, and to what extent will local traditions be embraced in a modern development.
‘By creating ‘a view’, ‘a destination’ and ‘an event’ a platform
opens up and reinvents itself as a place for
cultural consumption in a novel way’.
Therefore, Nuuk Art Hub carries its role in society by responding to the Inuit’s ambition of taking charge of their own future. This intention is achieved by accommodating the means through which the locals express their desire: Art. The local artistic movement, as well as the intention of the Municipality to develop a new National Gallery for the city, are therefore brought together under the same roof, establishing the function of the new proposal as a cultural event.
Situated on the waterfront of the fjord, on raised ground, the topography proposes the site as emblematic for the city. The building is placed on the edge of the cliff, to make full use of the site’s potential, thus being perceived as a landmark not only at a socio-cultural level, but also visually, when seen from both the waterfront. Although having a unique and very distinctive identity, the building becomes an integrated part of the natural scene by immersing into the ground and by having a humble composition when approached from the perspective of the street.
Perception of the Place
By continuing the pre-existing narrative of the site, and by placing the intervention at the apogee of this experience, the proposal aims to function as a landmark for the city, while maintaining the identity of the location. Therefore, the culminating point of the site’s narrative is materialized through the unique perspective visible from the top of the roof terrace. From here, the viewer can experience the fjord, as well as look back onto the site, rendering it possible to experience the location from a variety of different perspectives. This vista is also expressed in the interior of the building, where the atrium frames the surrounding landscape and brings it into the center of the story.
A Platform for Knowledge
The unique function of the Art Hub promotes knowledge through its three main programmes: the informative [National Gallery], the lucrative [the workshop spaces], as well as the educative [the classrooms].
Informed Building
In a discussion with local base engineering and architecture practices, the practice of unsuitable building strategies has been pointed out. This is due to the unavailability of local resources, making it expensive to acquire the necessarily material. However, the building strategy maintained throughout the project has shown that sustainable building in the given context is indeed plausible. Through passive strategies and the implementation of active strategies such as geothermal energy and solar panels, the building meets 2015 goals, and the possibility for reaching Zero Energy Consumption during summer months is a reality.
