Cast Glass Architecture in Extreme Conditions

© Julien Lanoo
© Julien Lanoo
© Faidra Oikonomopoulou
© Faidra Oikonomopoulou
© Faidra Oikonomopoulou
© Faidra Oikonomopoulou
The Qaammat Pavilion, conceived and designed by architect Konstantin Ikonomidis, aims to create a landmark in the outskirts of Sarfannguit, a small fishing settlement of around 100 inhabitants within the Aasivissuit – Nipisat Unesco World Heritage Site, slightly north of the Arctic Circle. The adhesively-bonded glass block sculpture consists of two inclined semi-circular, perforated walls, roughly 2 m in height and 3.2 m in diameter. Comprising circa 1,100 solid cast glass bricks (240 × 110 × 53 mm), it is erected on top of arc-shaped steel plates, supported by stainless steel bars anchored through drilled holes in the rock below, a method borrowed from local housing architecture.