09 Feb 2017
Bjarke Ingels tipped for Greenland waterfront stadium project
BY Kim Megson
The studio of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels have agreed to design a new indoor football stadium for Greenland, according to media reports in the island territory.
Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) have reported that BIG will create “a new gathering point” for the capital city Nuuk by creating a modern stadium on a disused plot of land, with several large windows providing views of the harbour, surrounding fjords and the bay.
According to the report, Ingels, speaking at a press conference this week, pledged to design “a new commercial and cultural centre in Nuuk” that will be a landmark for Greenland – having the same impact as the Sydney Opera House had in Australia.
In addition to the stadium, KNR has stated that Greenland’s planned National Gallery, also designed by BIG, would be located to the site, which is close to the city’s swimming pool complex.
Ingels has reportedly been inspired by the culture and environment of Greenland and its natural phenomena, including the northern lights, waterfalls, icebergs and the waves of the sea.
Images released by the local municipality of Sermersooq – which is funding the scheme as part of a wider cultural strategy – show an elegant domed stadium on the waterfront. Its organic form and snow-covered roof evoke the image of a glacier or snowdrift.
Last year BIG revealed designs for their first major stadium; a possible new home for US National Football League team the Washington Redskins.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Ingels said that modern-day stadiums lack individuality and called for more design studios to be given the opportunity to design sports facilities.
“Stadiums are just a total dinosaur,” he said. "It's the same three or four global offices that have designed all the stadiums. It becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy, where you have to be a stadium designer to design a stadium. And that means they're all the same."
A Netflix documentary, The Art of the Design, that follows the architect at work will be added to streaming service Netflix tomorrow (10 February).
Other forthcoming cultural projects in Greenland include a new cultural attraction focusing on the historic connection between Denmark, Greenland and the Arctic, and a museum highlighting the dramatic melting of the UNESCO-protected Greenland ice sheet.
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