Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty, and it seemed a shame that this beautify should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design, and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, leaving any record behind. Wilson Bentley (1865-1931) The first known photographer of snowflakes
As a child I always looked forward to the first day of snow. I ran outside all bundled up and joined my friends to build a snowman or an enchanted snow castle. It was a magical time. But that was long ago – another time, another place. Now that I live in California it is only a distant memory.
Just below the Arctic Circle in northern Finland, is a small town named Kemi where every year the World’s largest Snow Castle is built entirely of Snow and Ice. The first castle was built in 1996 as a gift from the city of Kemi and UNICEF to the children of the world.
According to UNICEF most of the world’s children have never seen snow.
Nearly 300,000 visitors came to Kemi that first year to see the Snow Castle and the surrounding complex of buildings built from snow and ice.
Every winter a Snow Village is designed and built using different architectural styles and themes. Just like a snowflake the Snow Village is different every year. Typically, the Snow Village includes a group of buildings with towering archways, massive ice walls and crystal clear ice sculptures standing by the warmth of outdoor fire pits.
Restaurant with tables and chairs made of ice. Reindeer hides cover the seats to keep the customers warm.
THEMES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS AT SNOW VILLAGE:
• • • •
Fire Sports Travel The Sea
• • •
Comics Fantasy Design
Each winter the icy complex includes an Ice Chapel where dozens of couples from around the world get married. A hotel built of snow and ice offers brave guests an opportunity to spend the night in a room with a bed made of ice! This monumental snow and ice complex inspires ice sculptors, opera singers and dancers who all look forward to performing there.
Cindy.Long@kelleroffice.com
Snow Hotel 125 - 350 Euros/Night
Ice Sculpture
Snow Chapel
The construction of the Snow Castle complex starts every year in the beginning of December as soon as the weather is appropriate for making snow. It takes approximately six weeks to build all the ice and snow structures and over 1,000 truckloads of snow is brought to the site. Molds are used to form the desired shapes, and amazingly enough there is no support structures used in any of the buildings.
During construction ‌
‌ and after
In April the sun becomes brighter and warmer in this arctic region and cosmetic and structural damage begins to appear on the snow and ice structures. The buildings are no longer structurally safe and it is time to close the winter wonderland for the season. The spring sun will work its magic melting tons of snow and ice into a surreal art form. By the middle of May the entire Snow Village area will be empty of all snow, small puddles of water - the only reminder of what once was. Just like a snowflake, when the snow castle melted away, that design was forever lost.
My HMC xRef proposal is to travel to Kemi, 62 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia in the middle of winter. I will visit the world’s biggest snow castle and the surrounding snow village and spend a night in the coolest hotel in the world. (All the rooms are built of snow and ice and the temperature is always 24 degrees regardless of the outside temperature!) I will interview architects, contractors, consultants, snow and ice construction • Were building permits required? • Are there any lessons learned from building these snow and ice structures that can be transferred to the commercial sector? • What do the working drawings look like? • Did they use AutoCAD or Revit? • What types of consultants were involved? • How this yearly snow construction project impacts the small town of Kemi.
Architect’s rendering of a Snow Castle -10 °C = 14 °F
In addition to my interviews, I will document the experience with photographs that I will share with HMC. Just like a snowflake it seems a shame if the castle’s beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others.
Helsinki railway station designed by Eliel Saarinen influenced this snow castle design.
My trek to the Snow Castle and its Village will give me a chance to play in the snow again and reconnect with my childhood memories. It will expand my awareness of sustainable building; broaden my mind as to the different and unique types of building materials and techniques available, and the need to preserve our natural resources. Snow and ice is perhaps the oldest and greenest building material. Made by nature, at the end of its useful life it just melts away into the surrounding landscape. And it all starts with one little snowflake...