Volume II
Pagirrissa An Island to Care For
Research_
Kivalina is a remote island off the coast of mainland Alaska facing a pronounced climate crisis.
As the arctic environment begins to warm faster than the global average rate, Kivalina’s Native Alaskan (Inupiat) people and the island’s ecology are at stake.
According to the US National Climate Assessment, by 2050 the average winter temperature in Alaska is expected to rise by 4 degrees Fahrenheit. This is in addition to an observed increase in average winter temperature by 6 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 60 years.
As the arctic environment begins to warm faster than the global average rate, Kivalina’s Native Alaskan (Inupiat) people and the island’s ecology are at stake.
According to the US National Climate Assessment, by 2050 the average winter temperature in Alaska is expected to rise by 4 degrees Fahrenheit. This is in addition to an observed increase in average winter temperature by 6 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 60 years.
Rising temperatures in the Arctic have caused sea ice to form thinner, later in the year and melt earlier. Current projections find that this sea ice will all but disappear by the year 2030.
A lack of sea ice leaves Kivalina susceptible to damage by extreme wave events which erode and flood the island. NOAA has found that coastal erosion of Kivalina has led to the loss of nearly 19 acres of land. Projections show that erosion will cause Kivalina to disappear by the year 2030.
Due to climate change, the way of life for the Inupiaq people of Kivalina has become increasingly demanding.
The Inupiaq of Kivalina live near the Arctic Ocean and Wulik River to hunt, fish, and gather the wild plants and animals the ecosystem provides. This subsistence lifestyle is deeply embedded in Inupiaq culture and has become more difficult as a lack of sea ice and its decreasing thickness inhibits travel to access bowhead whale, walrus, fish and polar bear, all essential foods in the Inupiat diet. Over large areas of the Western Arctic, the ice depth has decreased by up to three feet.
Design on Kivalina must address these issues through strategies that create ways to grow food and medicinal herbs on the site and increase access to water for fishing.
The affordability and availability of housing are significant issues for the residents of Kivalina as transporting construction materials comes with a high cost. Much of the existing housing stock is overcrowded, in need of repair, and not sufficiently designed for the extreme cold of an Arctic environment.
Poor housing conditions such as structural failure, dampness and insufficient ventilation create significant health impacts and injury for the people who inhabit them and increase energy consumption. The current housing stock of Kivalina is also contributing to permafrost melt, both in their construction and through heat that conducts through the floor and melts the ground below.
Design on Kivalina must address these issues through strategies that provide energy-efficient housing for all residents while limiting the impact on the permafrost.
A cultural loss in Kivalina has occurred as Western schools replace the educational role of the Inupiat “Qargi.” The Qargi is a political, social, ceremonial, and educational institution for the Inupiaq people, where traditional knowledge is passed down from older generations to the children of the community.
As a result of the disappearance of Qargit from Inupiat communities, a substantial number of young Inupiat children do not know the traditional skills necessary for life on Kivalina and will be unable to pass on this knowledge to future generations.
Design on Kivalina must address the loss of the Qargi by providing spaces that encourage intergenerational interaction and the transfer of traditional knowledge.
Process_
We built a physical model of the island and its existing buildings, a helpful tool for conceptualizing the phases of construction.
Working with seasonal cycles, building elements are prefabricated off-site during periods of deep freeze and then brought to site for construction during periods of thaw.