Nordic Arctic. Sustainable Architecture beyond the Arctic Circle

One of the exhibition's underlying themes is the growing debate over the role of sustainable architecture in adapting to climate change. The exhibition documents exemplary examples both in the context of the environmental sustainability of landscapes and in relation to the increasing influx of tourists into exposed landscapes. It illustrates possible strategies of professional institutions in Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark. A prime example is the unique system of Norwegian National Tourist Routes. Creativity and innovation with a humble approach have become a model for other countries (including Iceland) in creating tourism infrastructure while protecting outstanding landscapes.

Larger buildings that play an important role as cultural and social centres in the Scandinavian Arctic and are epicentres of the social life of settlements beyond the Arctic Circle are also featured. The university city of Tromsø is a prime example of a successful dialogue between contemporary architecture and historical heritage, including the revitalisation of former docks and industrial sites. The capital of the Svalbard archipelago, Longyearbyen, with its mining tradition, is also being transformed by Arctic exploration and the onslaught of tourist expeditions. Jiří Havran has also captured the unique atmosphere of the Russian former mining town of Pyramiden.

The second part of the exhibition also presents innovative realisations and projects that show a wide range of architectural concepts by leading Scandinavian studios.

Photographer Jiří Havran has lived in Norway since 1974 and has been photographing architecture since 1989. In addition to his free work and artistic projects in Norway and abroad, he has published forty publications through his publishing house ARFO. In the Czech Republic he has exhibited at the Municipal Gallery in his native Teplice (1991) and at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague (2012, exhibition and publication from architecture).