The building practically grows straight up out of the terrain like a block of ice - and the design was also inspired by the natural surroundings just outside the hospital windows: the ice floes that float around in Godthåbsfjord, and the sight of Greenland’s highest mountain, Sermitsiaq, which towers up behind the town of Nuuk.

With both the facades and the roof clad in copper, the building also emanates a sense of wholeness - just like an ice block or a mountain top.  The unifying copper skin is appropriate for the building’s inclined form and makes it subtly stand out as a dignified public building.

The particular texture of the copper as well as its beautiful patina - and not least the robustness in relation to the extreme climatic conditions of Greenland - have all been important parameters for selecting this particular material for the project.

With its striking sculptural form, the building directs itself towards the town and the users, marking the hospital’s new main entrance and drawing attention to the hospital’s renewal process.

The new health centre adds 1,500 m² to the hospital. All in all the master plan for the renovation and extension of the hospital encompasses 20,500 m^2.

The building has been financed by the A. P. Møller Foundation, as well as by grants from the government of Greenland.