'national gallery of greenland' by bjarke ingels group in nuuk, greenland
all images courtesy bjarke ingels group


danish architects bjarke ingels group has won the invited competition to design
greenland's new national gallery of art in the capital city of nuuk. a collaborative effort
with TNT nuuk, ramboll nuuk, andarkitekti, the proposal was unanimously selected over
six other nordic architects including norwegian snøhetta and finnish heikkinen-komonen. 



view to the fjord


conceived as a projection of a geometrically perfect circle on the sloped site, the new
3000 m2 museum is a courtyard building that combines a comprehensive layout with
a sensitive adaption to the landscape. the resulting form resembles a melted ring that
follows the natural topography to imply the metaphor of a glacier or drifting snow.



approach


'the danish functionalist architecture in nuuk is typically square boxes which ignore
the unique nature of greenland. we therefore propose a national gallery which is both
physically and visually in harmony with the dramatic nature, just like life in greenland
is a symbiosis of the nature. we have created a simple, functional and symbolic shape,
where the perfect circle is supplied by the local topography which creates a unique
hybrid between the abstract shape and the specific location', says bjarke ingels,
founder and partner of BIG.



from the water





the centre of the melted ring hosts an internal courtyard and an outdoor sculpture garden.
serving as the museum's focal point, the slope of the courtyard allows the space to open up
towards the city and the view.

the cyclical shape of the gallery enables a flexible division of the exhibition space according
to individual needs. much like the guggenheim museum's rotunda layout in new york,
a ramp and staircase form a coherent cycle from arrival through mezzanine and auditorium
to exhibition loop and back again.



interior view



exhibition space



ramp






schematic diagrams
(top left) geometric circle superimposed on landscape
(top right) form follows the topography
(bottom left) view towards the fjord
(bottom right) circular organization



(left) workshops & storage - all side functions are concentrated in a central core
(right) ciculation - a ramp and a staircase form a coherent cycle from arrival through mezzanine and auditorium to exhibition space



physical model






aerial view






exhibition space



courtyard



site plan



floor plan / level 0



floor plan / level -1



floor plan / level -2



section



site section



site section



fold-out section



east elevation



west elevation



south elevation



north elevation



exploded axo