Rich in terms of its cultural and historical prevalence within Greenland, the small island of Uummannaq exists as an
important link between past traditions and an evolving way of life. Surrounded by a landscape of rugged terrain, ice, glaciers, and icebergs,
Uummannaq sits at the center of an ever changing environment. The vanishing of the ice affects the inner workings of the island on three different scales of time, namely, Human, Glacial, and Scientific time.
Glacial time is seen in the gradual retreat of the ice. Its retreat is mostly ghostly and unseen periodically fading and disappearing. The loss
of the ice is irreversible, but it can still be preserved and respected as an important entity and direct connector to the shifting global atmosphere.
It is a deteriorating monolith becoming increasingly fragmented, shifted, and thinned over time. Its disappearance can be felt through
the shift in traditions as well as the personality of the island. Without scientific time, glacial time is analytically incalculable.
Scientific time is seen in the processing and monitoring of the ice sheet. The scientists are the ones who are able to calculate and determine
the life cycle of the ice, its age, its future, and predict the time of its death. Scientific time, human time, and glacial time can combine together
to create the formula for a new system for the island. The scientists are the villagers, the preservers, the teachers, and a part of the
culture of the future modern generation of Uummannaq. Local knowledge of the power of the ice will grow with time on an analytical level in
tandem with the cultural reverence for its spiritual importance to the island.
Human time is seen in the shifting personality of the island, particularly in the expression of the architectural elements. Above ground piping
systems, and stilted architecture lightly touch down on the rugged landscape creating a web like system of draped linear elements. Glacial
time influences human time in that the vanishing of the ice forces an adaptation shift for the people on the island. New tools, new infra
structure (rising seas=rising structures), and new practices.
SCIENCE & CULTURE
The science of the ice in combination with the Uummannaq reverence for nature in terms of its spiritual qualities creates the potential for a space of gathering that promotes knowledge, learning, and a deeper interaction with the analytical and complex properties of the ice.This building serves as a gathering space for Uummannaq scientists and the community to see the ice from a new perspective in an analytical fashion and preserving its importance through scientific monitoring and inquiry. It is not a space of mourning for the ice’s disappearance, rather it is a space of celebration of its existence and a promotion for its respect as a fragile yet important entity surrounding the lives of the people of Uummannaq. It is a climatic research center that introduces science and technology to the island while connecting with the younger generation that struggle to find a balance between traditional values and the modern life. The future of Uummannaq depends on the education and interest of the next generation in the purpose of the ice.
. Apart of the island, it rises and falls touching down on the landscape while maintaining a light connection to the ground. It is linked, stacked, and layered, but a free form multi directional and angular in its behavior.Perforations follow the bends of the planes creating a series of linear apertures that break the overall mass and divide it highlighting the geometric movement of the bending forms. It is an infrastructure that results from the rule set of glacial behavior as well as the existing architectural elements of the island.