Svalbard’s “Doomsday” Seed Vault to Get a Snøhetta-Designed Welcome Center
Preserving some 986,243 seed species, in zero degrees Fahrenheit, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault protects the legacy of Earth’s fauna. For those who’ve long dreamed of seeing the site themselves, a visitor center known as The Arc is set to open in 2022. Design firm Snøhetta will lead, and their vision is two-fold. First, a mirrored, modernist main building (on a suspended timber frame, so as not to heat the permfrost) will house a cafe and an experiential Arctic World Archive installation. The show-stopping second building swirls toward the sky; inside, the design evokes the experience of standing in the vault itself (and will be kept at 39 degrees Fahrenheit). There will also be a heated conference center within. Read more at Fast Company.
Via fastcompany.com link opens in a new window
