Svalbard Science Centre in Longyearbyen, Svalbard
On the Norwegian Svalbard Islands in the Arctic Ocean, 60 per cent of the land is covered with glaciers. The UNIS university institute specializes in polar research, and with the present extension it offers space for 550 students. Additional facilities have also been provided for other public bodies on the islands. The optimized form of the building was partly the outcome of computer simulations to avoid snowdrifts. The copper-clad extension is anchored in the permafrost by means of roughly 300 bored piles. The main timber structure was largely prefabricated and avoids thermal bridges. Internally, the bright spaces are also clad in wood and help to make it easier to endure the two-month-long polar night.
