Keywords: architecture, planning, landscape, resource use, mining, anthropocene, climate change, sustainability, post-colonialism, colonialism, identity, modernization, Marmorilik, Greenland, Denmark.
This project takes the discussion of Greenland’s post-colonial identity seeking in terms of the built environment, with a focus on mines. Through an architectural and artistic approach, it looks for spatial quality and visual identity, meanwhile taking into consideration of Greenland’s colonial legacy and the environmental challenges in the Arctic.
Background
Greenland, the largest island in the world, was inhabited by the Inuit and their ancestors since the 13 century. It came under the colony of Denmark in 1721, but was fully integrated in Denmark in 1953 organised in the Danish constitution, which marked the end of the colonial era. In 1979, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland. In 2008, Greenlanders voted in favour of the Self-Government Act, which transferred more power from the Danish government to the local Green- landic government in 2009. Under the new structure, gradually Greenland can assume more and more responsibilities from Denmark. The Danish government provided an initial annual subsidy that will diminish slowly. It is expected that Greenland will grow its economy based on increased income from the extraction of natural resources.
Greenland finds its great potential to be the new frontier of mineral resources as the warmer climate in the Arctic has revealed more land from ice along the coast, providing accessibility to the earth layer formed ages ago. This potential has gained great interest from many prospectors around the world. The Greenland government is also promoting the place to be an attractive mining destination. Other than mineral deposits, Greenland also has a 70 percent share of renewable energy in the world, mostly hydropower. But actions have been on hold, as mining is a controversial industry and many issues remain in question.
If Greenland is to seize the opportunity of natural resources, how could it bene- fit the society without erasing its identity? How could it contribute to the urgent climate action agenda? How could it compliment the unique Greenlandic landscape? How could it minimize its impact on the fragile Arctic ecosystem?
Motivation
A memory from my childhood, is a deep quarry pit that I always felt fear when passing by on the way to visit family in the countryside. Today, as an architect and artist, I see more aspects of that hole; the economical or technological importance, communal identity, scenographic potentials. It is of the very meaning for me, to take care of such places, the scars that human’s industries have left on the earth due to their enormous desire, the chapter of Anthropocene being written in the book of time.
Educated in the Danish context, I feel the urge to take part in the discussion about mining in Greenland, for this place is not only Greenland, or part of the Common- wealth, but also an important part of the global environment.
Method and Frame
Through an artistic yet practical approach to the future landscape architecture, this proposal paints a new vision for Marmorilik, a historical mine town (removed today) in the northwest of Greenland, where new resource use and tourism intertwine. The vision presents spatial planning and visual aesthetics and reflects the role of architecture in building post-colonial identity and shaping sustainable future.
The project is navigated through different scales. To begin with, a mapping of the whole country, together with written materials research to gain an overview. Second, mining strategy proposal for West Greenland. Third and most, I zoomed in the old mine town Marmorilik as an example to detail the planning and landscape design. This summary focuses mainly on the third part, which reflects the analysis and strategies from the first two parts.
The outcome comprises a report and a set of drawings including a master plan, sections, details, visualisations, paintings, models and guidelines. The references source from books, reports, articles, images, videos, online blogs, national statistics and geological data, and other research projects. (see Appendix).
Colonial Impact on The Built Environment
To know what to do, one first needs to recognise what was done.
Mining History
Mining in Greenland can be traced far back in history. Since 1780, modest scale mining has begun soon after Denmark granted its monopoly trade to Greenland based on a barter system. In the 1900s, exploitation of minerals increased to an industrial scale under colonial power. Marmorilik mine was one of them.
The name Marmorilik means “the place of marble” in Greenlandic. The Marmorilik Formation has marble of a high quality that can be compared to Carrara mar- ble. From 1936, the Danes began quarrying marble here and shipping them to Denmark for use in several administrative buildings and a royal tombstone. This marble played an important political and symbolic role in Denmark’s connection with Greenland in history. In relation to the second world war, the quarry was closed in 1945.
After the war, Denmark rejected the US offer to buy Greenland, and elevated Greenland to an official county. A series of reforms were implemented for the modernization and danization of this county in the 1950s. That is also when Greenland switched from barter system to money economy, and opened up its market to foreign investment and international trade. Hence, a Danish-Canadian corporation named “Greenex” operated an industrial scale zinc-lead mine (Black Angel mine) on the level of 700 m inside the mountain across the fjord from the old Marmorilik marble quarry. New infrastructures including two cable cars, four deepwater ports and a 6km long tunnel were built. A town was established on the old quarry site, housing 300 workers mostly including Greelanders, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, Finnish, Canadians. Blogs written by some of them can be found online, documenting their time in Marmorilik, which w as described as a happy and memorable experience. The Black Angel mine was shut down due to low market price in 1990, and remains closed despite several attempts to reopen. After the removal of the town, the ground is covered with marble tailings from digging the tunnel. The remaining tunnel provides access to inside the mountain and also a high level that gives a different perspective of the landscape, forming the base of the new planning in this project.
The way of living
In 1776, Denmark claimed to be safeguarding traditional Greenlandic culture from outside influences and compelled Greenlanders to remain in hunting and fishing occupations. However, “civilizing” mission, including forced conversions to Christianity, the suppression of language and traditions, and the destruction of existing communal structures, was going on. The modernization in 1950s changed the nomadic Inuit living based on hunting and fishing and the changing ice landscape, to static modern living supported by industrial fishing. This resulted in a concentration of population and permanent houses. The migration from small towns and settlements to bigger towns has been going on over the past decades in demographic and educational terms. Today, among the population of 56, 081(2020), 87 % are living in town, 33% in the capital Nuuk. 39 small settlements have been abandoned in Greenland. Being deprived of the opportunity to evolve its own culture and traditions, the modern lifestyle in Greenland is greatly influenced by western definition.
Building Styles and Materials
The modernization also defined the image of Greenlandic buildings as today often associated with colorful wooden houses, which are Norwegian style brought to Greenland in 1721, and later popularized by the Danish government to provide better housing for everyone in the 1950s. Before that, for 4000 years, the Inuit lived in turf huts, tents, and occasionally in igloos, built with materials found locally. When thinking more closely about this, it becomes obvious as there are almost no trees on Greenland due to permafrost. The wood materials come from outside of Greenland; Imports of building materials account for 14% of the government budget, half of which relies on the Danish grant. (statistics 2019) This is an example of how the westernized definition of modernism leads to the dependence on imports. It is safe to say, colonialism is one of the reasons leading to the insufficiency of the Greenlandic society. As the built environment is an important aspect of identity, it is necessary to find a local architectural style with local materials.
Changing Climate and Ice Landscape
To know what to do, one first needs to recognise what is present.
About 79% of Greenland’s surface is covered by ice, which has played a dominant role in both the landscape and ecosystem. The vast inland ice sheet sits in the middle, separating habitable areas on the coastline. On the west coast, the deep fjords make it suitable for human settlements. However, those uncovered surface is not ice-free; under the thin soil later is permafrost, making tundra the more common landscape here, which is fragile.
The ice cap of Greenland melts in summer and gains the volume back by refreezing in the winter. Marmorilik sits between the fjord and the edge of the ice cap, where such change is visible. The ice cap and glacier sit on a 500-meter high terrain, 11 km from the town. In the summer, the ice melts and the water runs into the fjord through lakes, streams and waterfalls. While in the winter, the lakes have a lower water level, and sometimes they can even freeze. This dynamic landscape inspired the detail design of this project.
The ice landscape is changing not only over seasons, but also over years. Due to global warming, the ice cap is thawing, with the ice melt outweighing the refreeze of the water (see diagram comparing Greenland ice coverage in 1930 and 2016.) In Marmorilik, the retreat of the local glacier is obvious in the comparison of the edge in 2020 from 1977.
Weaving the History into Active Contribution to Today’s Mission
The first step to respect history, is to remember. Furthermore, create new stories with it.
As Greenland gained self-government in 2009, the Greenland society is more active in the management of its social tasks, legislation and finance, especially the younger generation. It becomes crucial how the past is viewed and used in the process of shaping future Greenland.
Marmorilik, as a town that was created for mining activity in a rough yet spectacular envi- ronment, is an important witness of colonial history and human interference. Today after the removal of the town, the site is left with traces and some infrastructure from the marble quarrying and zinc exploitation. Its rough nature and mining history have attracted some tourists and researchers to visit here.
Believing the initial step to minimize our impact in the fragile ecosystem is to limit our footprints, the first mining strategy I propose for Greenland is reactivating the old mines instead of starting a new area. That fits Marmorilik perfectly as it still has abundant marble reserves. The Marmorilik marble, aside from its high quality, played a symbolic role in Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland, which was passive for Greenland as the colony. Nevertheless, it has the potential to actively contribute to the post-colonial identity building and the Commonwealth today. This project envisions Marmorilik as a place where the colonial past is weaved into the new narrative of Greenland as an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark.
New Vision for Marmorilik
To re-think and combine the mining and tourist industries, I propose a new way of resource use at Marmorilik which would potentially contribute to building a local community with a sustainable economy. It is new in the sense that it is limited, integrated and curated. The proposal focuses on spatial arrangement and visual identity. In the new planning, marble village, hydropower plant, new marble mine, art residency, marble bridges are spread over the area between the ice cap and the fjord, all connected by pathways consisting of the old tunnel, new railroad and hiking paths.
Sustainable Marble Community
A marble village settles on the old townsite sustained by small-scale marble industry, artisan workshops, and tourism. The community comprises diverse residents with various skills, thus allowing for varied educational exchanges and opportunities for both locals and visitors alike. It offers facilities for both long-term and short-term residences for people from both inside and outside Greenland. Visitors are encouraged and expected to stay longer to have a better understanding of and contribution to the local ecosystem, also taking travel cost and time into consideration. Here, one can see the old marble quarry ruins and the closed zinc mine, and experience the new resource use model in comparison with the old monoculture exploitation. Instead of exporting raw materials like it used to be, the marble are processed here in Marmorilik to finer products, which would benefit the community both economically and culturally.
Green Energy
At the midway waterfall, a hydropower plant supplies electricity for the village, the residency, and the pathway. It is a visitable destination, offering education about green energy.
Art Residency as Means of Documentation and Publicity
High up in the terrain, deep in the landscape, sits a new marble mine and an art residency. Comparing to the old mining development model, whose expansion depending on the economy, this new mine has a limited frame. It is operated under the principle of minimized production and maximized utilization of the materials, and the finished mines should serve landscape purposes. And the end of the mine sits the art residency, which is carved out from the marble mountain. The marble carved out becomes the materials for the artists to work with, meanwhile supplied by the new mine. The residency sits by the lake with a view of the retreating glacier and the dynamic ice landscape which serves as inspiration. Documenting and distilling the unique and unreturning landscape also the experience living here by the marble mine community into artworks, the artists and their works serve as a media to transmit the message to those who may not have the chance to witness this landscape in person, as a means to strengthen Marmorilik’s identity, moreover, to call for action towards the climate change.
Local Natural Materials to Minimize Interference
The pathway is a combination of the existing tunnel, new railroad for rail bikes, and hiking paths. By re-utilising, the old mining infrastructure, the tunnel, which connects the low to the high and creates darkness before the great openness, the history is thus weaved into the new narrative. The paths are paved with crushed stones from the rocky ground on site. It ends in the glacier flour near the edge of the ice cap, with two marble bridges lying across the meltwater, indicating the view and the way to return, where one can review the land- scape from a different perspective.
Narrating Through Space and Time
A good storytelling as means to educate and protect.
The journey starts from the marble village, after arriving by boat, or helicopter in winter. Several marble elements are defined here to indicate the visiting route: port, panorama, coast, ruins, and tunnel entrance. Facilities for small-scale marble in- dustry, artisan workshops, and tourism can be built in the rest of the area. Here, one can witness the trace of mining history and the new sustainable mining community.
Passing by the marble quarry ruins, walking halfway up the small hill, the entrance of the tunnel appears. When you are in the dark tunnel, you will be shuttled in electric cars. After 10 minutes ride, a light comes into sight. Getting off the shuttle car, you walk towards the light. A refined black frame reveals itself in darkness.
As the light becomes clearer and brighter, in front of you, spreads out the view of the cliff on the opposite side of the fjord. Now one realizes being high up in the mountain. Here is the transit between cars and railbikes, darkness and brightness, low level and high level, old mine and new mine.
While on railbikes, you have a close view of the tundra vegetation and section of the ground revealing permafrost. As you hear the waterfall, comes into sight a building, harmoniously merged into the background where water falling down the layered rocky cliff. Here, one can visit the powerplant to learn about hydroenergy, and have a break at the cafe and recharge with food and water at the visitor center for the hike.
Gradually a white line comes into sight. As one comes closer, you see a plateau cut into the marble mountain. This is the new marble mine. The visualisation shows the phase when the finished mine becomes a visitable landscape element with a section view of the marble mountain body while the veins directing your movement towards the ice cap. The scored surface of the plateau, which is the traces of artisan marble mining, creates a horizontal texture serving non-slip and drainage functions.
At the end of the mine, sits the art residency by the water, hid- den from the plateau making use of the level difference. Stairs carved out from the mountain lead you down to the lake bank, where you will find a sculpture. As you look back, there are more sculptures exhibited, and probably an artist is working in the courtyard of the residency.
The residency provides the artist with a place to work in sol- itude with a close view of the changing ice landscape, which serves as inspiration. The terraced ground provides access to water, for use in sculpturing, also marking the changes of water level over seasons and years.
They are bridges made of big blocks of marble in the sizes as how they were usually cut in the mine. Between some blocks, the gaps are filled with crushed marble stones, which will be carried away as the summer flood comes, leaving a white trace on the riverbed that becomes visible in winter as the water level drops.
The first bridge points to an inaccessible monument, marking the continuation of the marble formation. Getting off the bridge, one then follows the water, to the second bridge, which points to the glacier. Standing right at the edge, in front of this gi- ant rough ice, one understands the forces of nature and the uniqueness of the Greenlandic landscape.
After moments of silence, you may return and re-appreciate the landscape on the way back, so that you remember how it looks, at this short moment you are living on the earth.
The path ends here, at the edge of the ice cap, but the journey does not. As the ice is retreating, more land in Greenland is being revealed in the future. As time pass- es, we will be able to go further and explore more of it. But at the same time, we should remind ourselves that there is no way back once the ice cap melts to a certain extent, once we successfully push the earth environ- mentally beyond the tipping point.
The project ends here but not the discussion. Here is a guideline of marble mining principles and design toolknit for further projects in other scales. It illustrates how we can practice mining marble more sustainably. And how one can integrate the different marble processing methods into our design, so that it reconnects the modern architectural environment with the material origin and production. Which may help us remain in the chapter of time after thousands of years, an elegant page.
Last Thoughts
Greenland today has the opportunity to grow its economy from the extraction of natural resources. Faced with colonial legacy and environmental responsibility, the challenges for Greenland come from both inside and outside the society. How could this opportunity bene-fit Greenland both economically, socially and environ- mentally?
Entangled by the colonial past, the shared history and memory between Greenland and Denmark lays a foun- dation to re-think and re-create the narratives about the Commonwealth. That is where the young generations could join the discussion and help each other. That is where professionals, including architects like me, could have a suggestion voice.
(After the completion of thesis, this project was curated for exhibition as part of Aarhus Artspace 2021.)