Norwegian studio Fantastic Norway have designed a series of interconnected homes for disadvantaged women and children in Nuuk, Greenland.

Called House of Families, the scheme features a cluster of dwellings that are connected to each other by communal living areas, playrooms, kitchens and meeting places.

The project forms part of a larger development of the city centre, led by Dahl & Uhre Arkitekter and TNT Nuuk.

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The following information is from the architects:

HOUSE OF FAMILIES

“House of families” is a building for disadvantaged young women with young children in Nuuk / Greenland, designed by Fantastic Norway:

The project is part of an overall strategic plan for the Nuuk center called “Middle of the world, the middle of Nuuk”, led by Dahl & Uhre architects and TNT Nuuk architects. Invited into the over all project is also MDH architects, Fantastic Norway. 42 architects + Regionalassociates, M: ARC + + Arkitekti Helena Lennert are also invited as guests in this project. The client is the Greenland Home rule and Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq.

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The house’s main task will be to teach families and mothers to fend for themselves, enabling them to live an independent life. The building will appear as inviting and protective, safe and friendly. The building mass is broken up into smaller building volume. This way the building is perceived not as a large institution, but rather a composite of many small houses: Of many families.

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A social network can be for many the road back to society, therefore the building’s “conceptual backbone” is a range of social zones and meeting places binding the different functions together. Everyday common functions such as kitchens, playgrounds and sitting room is the building’s “red line“.  Beyond this, the building also protects the out door areas against a rough climatic situation. The building mass is dense and closed towards the north. The out door spaces are also protected from the wind and rain from the southwest.

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Towards the south the building breaks up and lets light and greenery into the park in front of the building. Further on the Family House has a thorough ecological profile. In addition to connection to an external heating system, the building is self-sufficient with heating, the passive house technology, solar panels and water heating. A technological management system regulates and controls the energy consumption.

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TEAM:

Fantastic Norway: Anette c.Flygansvær, Håkon Matre Aasarød, Erlend Blakstad Haffner, Ingeborg c.Lindheim og Simon Pranter.

The overall strategic plan for the Nuuk center is led by Dahl&Uhre arkitekter og TNT Nuuk arkitekter, in colaboration with MDH arkitekter, Fantastic Norway, 42 architects +Regionalassociates , M:ARC+ Arkitekti+Helena Lennert.

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